Child of Letus - Moneta's Quest
by thanatoslordofdarkness
Summary: Sequel to Child of Letus Moneta the Titaness of Memory has come to collect on a debt the Child of Letus owes her, how will Reyna react when she comes face to face with Damien again and what consequences will the Praetor have to face UPDATED 13/05/19
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was mid-july and the sun was beat down harshly on the back of Reyna's neck as she watched the training sessions, the new recruits were struggling in the intense heat but Reyna was sure they could make Romans out of them, they had the natural skill necessary, the great wolf Lupa had seen to that.

She could hear Frank yelling encouragement at them, he was good like that, he knew how to push people without making them lose the will to live, he taught them how to have strength and how to use it properly. New recruits were often a little cautious around him, due to his size and muscled figure, but soon they realised he was a good guy but if the time came to it he could hold his own.

Frank spotted Reyna and jogged towards her, he nodded in greeting and stood beside her, looking over the recruits as they trained

"How are they fairing?" she asked

Frank nodded and wiped the sweat from his brow "They are doing well, they just need to get used to wearing the armour mostly, especially in this heat" he gestured over his shoulder "We already had to send one to the medics, they didn't hydrate enough"

Reyna rolled her eyes "Nothing too serious I hope"

Frank shook his head "They should be fine in an hour or so, hopefully they learnt their lesson about the importance of drinking water on days like today"

"Hopefully" she agreed

Frank wished her a good day and returned to his teachings, Reyna watched for a few moments longer before turning to attend her other duties.

She made her way through the camp, she went to visit the medic building, they had been asking for extra supplies recently so she had to talk it through with the head medic and figure out what exactly they needed and if it was in their budget, one of the other fun jobs of being Praetor.

"Reyna"

The Praetor turned to be greeted by Samson, Son of Apollo and head medic at Camp Jupiter

"Samson" she nodded back "You said about meeting over new supplies for the camp"

"Yes" he replied "Maybe we should talk in my office" he held out a hand to signal her to proceed first, which she did as she made her way down the corridor and into a room at the far end, it was a small office and all the walls were covered in bookshelves, filled to bursting point with medical books through the ages, Samson took pride in his collection, the largest known to exist in the modern day.

Samson sat in his desk chair and gestured for Reyna to do the same, as she sat he rifled through some papers that were neatly organised on his desk

"Ah yes here we are" he handed over a piece of paper with a long list of very complex medicines and herbs "Just a few items"

"What exactly is all this for?" she asked as she counted about 20 different names

Samson stood and walked over to one of the large bookshelves, he took down a huge and very old looking book held together with some sort of string, he placed it down in front of her and opened to a certain page that was book marked

"I recently required this manuscript from our friends at Camp Half-Blood, inside I have found some new herbal formulas that could be very useful to us" he pointed to a very long Latin word "I would like to experiment with these, with your permission of course"

Reyna looked back at the paper in her hands "These are quite expensive items Samson, how vital is it at this moment in time for you to experiment with vivificantern?"

Samson seemed excited by the whole aspect of it "If I can figure out a way to make this actually work then it could revolutionize our medical practises, we can save more lives with the 'Life Giver' those who get too injured on a quest to make it home to us, fatal injuries that even nectar cannot heal"

Reyna nodded thinking it through but before she could make a decision, somebody knocked frantically at the door

"Enter" Samson called

The door flew open to reveal Rebecca, Reyna's assistant looking a little out of breath

"Praetor, I'm sorry to interrupt but there is an urgent issue that needs your immediate attention" she took a deep breath "In your office"

"Is everything okay?" Reyna asked standing

Rebecca looked a little shaken, but she nodded "I just need you to return to your office Praetor, now… please"

Reyna frowned but turned to face Samson "I will think over this and we shall talk further on the matter"

"Very well Praetor, I will await your decision" Samson returned to his desk as the two women exited

"Rebecca are you going to tell me what in the name of Jupiter is going on?" Reyna demanded in a slightly hushed voice

The younger girl looked a little worried "I was told just to bring you back to your office"

"By who?" Reyna demanded, not understanding why Rebecca seemed nervous

Rebecca looked towards her leader "Please Reyna just… just come and see for yourself, I can't say anymore in hearing distance of others"

Reyna began to feel a little defensive, she had never seen Rebecca so quiet and worried, she had never disobeyed her Praetor before. Reyna mentally prepared herself for whatever or whoever was waiting for her in her office that had he assistant so on edge.

As they neared her office Reyna slowed and caught a hold of Rebecca's arm

"Stay out here, if I give you the signal I want you to find Praetor Frank and tell him what happened" she ordered before taking her blade and listened to the door, she heard nothing

She burst into the room ready for anything, well anything but what she saw before her, there standing in the middle of her office looking regal in an opera gown, her brown hair pulled up into a tight bun with some jewels around her neck. She turned looking down at Reyna with piercing eyes, her face showing no emotions what so ever.

"Hello Reyna Ramirez-Arellano" she said coldly "I have come for your help"

"Lady Moneta?" Reyna's jaw almost dropped as she stared up at the titaness


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Reyna couldn't believe her eyes, she had not seen the titaness since their encounter last year when she had returned Damien's memories to him, her mind flashed back to the son of Letus and the last time she had seen him.

"I am here to collect on the favour you and the Child of Letus owe me" she stated ignoring Reyna's obvious shock "I am short on time Praetor" she added when Reyna didn't answer

Reyna shook her head and composed herself, "Of course… but your deal was with Damien and he is not here at Camp Jupiter" she dropped her gaze for a moment "I have not seen him since that day we asked for your aid, I would not even know where to find him"

Moneta seemed indifferent about it "I am aware of this demigod, I have tried to speak with the son of death but as of right now I cannot seem to get him to focus" the titaness crossed her arms looking impatient "So this is why I have come to you, you are the only one who can snap him out of his current state and get him to take up my quest"

"What do you mean his current state? Where is he?" she asked, careful not to make it sound like she was demanding answers, she did not want to get on the wrong side of this titan but she wanted to know if he was safe

"He is alive, just a little worse for wear" she replied "But if I may get back to the issue in hand" she said sarcastically

Reyna wanted to ask more of Damien but by the Titaness's tone she knew not to push it

"Of course Lady Moneta, my apologies please continue" Reyna bowed her head slightly in respect, though she wanted to know more about Damien and what the Titaness meant by 'worst for wear'

"One of my daughters has been taken and I need your friend to find her, she is out of my domain's reach, that is all I know" she stated, but she showed no emotions even when speaking of her daughter's disappearance "I can no longer feel her presence"

"One of the muses?" Reyna asked

Moneta nodded "Yes, Euterpe has been taken" she looked out of the window "You may not be able to feel it yet Roman in this little city of yours but in the mortal world, joy and pleasure is vanishing from the world"

Reyna looked up confused at the titaness "Joy? I thought Euterpe was the Muse of music"

Moneta rolled her glittering eyes "My daughters are the Muses of many different aspects of the world, my other daughters are feeling the emptiness without Euterpe and therefore they are not releasing their powers to the mortal world, without the arts there is no joy in the world"

Reyna continued to listen

"Mortals will start to decline if the fine arts are not restored to the world, they do not realise how important music and art is to them and Euterpe is possibly the most important of the muses, music can soothe the soul and bring people together, it has shaped the world. Even Apollo is starting to feel her absence"

Reyna ran a hand through her hair and tried to comprehend what the titaness was telling her

"So you're saying that with Euterpe missing the world will get depressed?"

Moneta sighed wearily "Think about it young one, think about how many wars the mortals have now, with no art or music to soothe people, they will get more volatile, the results could be disastrous, you and the demigods can't avoid this, not even the gods of Olympus are safe"

Reyna nodded "You said she was no longer in your domain, where does your domain reach?"

"Where the history is the strongest and people remember, most of the globe is under my domain, only very late civilisations I cannot see"

"Right… okay" Reyna said, wishing the titaness could be a little more specific

Moneta knew what the young Demigod was thinking and exhaled, walking to Reyna's desk, without a word she shoved all of Reyna's papers from her desk and took the letter opener, stabbing it into the desk's surface

"Whoa, hey" Reyna stepped forward wondering what in the world the titaness was doing to her desk, but as she stepped forward she saw what she was carving into the dark wood of the desk, it was a world map, outlines of all the countries with extraordinary details.

Once she had finished she placed the blade gently onto the table as it carving the wooden top was completely natural

"You see?" she said as she paced her hand on the makeshift map, a golden ink like substance seeped from her hand, spreading over the map. Some places it just glided over and other places it would stick and dry to the wood.

"The gold is my domain" she clarified "Euterpe is not there"

Reyna looked at the map, most was covered in gold, all of the Americas and Europe, most of Asia and Africa there was only a few places that were not covered in the golden ink, the two polar regions and some of the smaller countries were not in her Domain

"That makes things a little easier" Reyna said running her fingers over the now permanent map that was carved and coloured on the desk

Moneta turned away from the Praetor and looked out of the window, something unseen caught her attention "Ah at last" she said

Reyna followed her gaze out of the window but saw nothing, she was about to question the titaness when there was a sudden bright light, she shielded her eyes.

When the light died away, Reyna blinked and her hand went to her weapon again but what she saw made her stop dead, two beautiful young women stood in flowing white Greek gowns, they held a figure between them by the arms, but his feet dragged along the floor, the figure appeared to be out cold

"Did you have much trouble?" asked Moneta

"No mother" they said in unison, their voices angelic

"He was passed out when we found him in an alley" the one on the left said

"Any news on our sister?" the other asked

Moneta shook her head "You did well, go now and be with your sisters"

The two muses dropped the figure and disappeared, Reyna looked down at the figure with shaggy hair, she went over to his side and her heartbeat began to race, she lifted his head and looked into the golden bleary eyes

"Damien?" she breathed


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Damien?" She said, pulling him into a seated position with his back to the wall, his head rolled slightly like he was going to pass out "What did you do to him?" she asked, trying to keep him relatively upright

"He did this to himself, this is why I need you help Reyna" Moneta backed away slightly, a light growing around her "Fix him and get my daughter back safely or the world will be at war, mortals and gods alike" and like that she was gone

Reyna looked back down to Damien who slumped awkwardly against her wall, his breath smelt of alcohol and his stubble was now a dark beard, his hair had not been cut since she had last seen him

"What happened to you Damien?" she whispered, she pushed his overgrown hair from his face, her breath caught, he was covered in cuts and bruises

Reyna stood and moved towards the door, peering outside to see Rebecca still waiting, hand on her dagger

"Praetor?"

"I need your help" she said pulling her into the office a little startled

Her eyes found the body slumped against the wall "Who's that?"

"That doesn't matter I need you to help me get him upstairs without any witnesses" Reyna moved back to Damien's side

"Reyna… what's?"

"That's a command" interrupted the Praetor, silencing the younger demigod "Please Rebecca" she added after realising her harsh tone

Together the two girls managed to lift Damien to his feet, slinging his arms over their shoulders and drag him to the door where Reyna checked if the coast was clear before hauling him out into the corridor, they made their way to the stairs when they heard voices coming from above, Reyna signalled to stay still.

She held her breath as the Demigods passed them and headed towards the door, she breathed again when she heard the door close behind them, they stayed put for a moment to be sure they were gone

"Let's move" she ordered

A few minutes later and they were outside Reyna's door, luckily it was the middle of the day and everyone was out doing their daily duties and they were able to sneak past the few that were still in the building. Reyna unlocked the door and was about to haul Damien inside when a voice sounded from behind them down the corridor, Reyna hastily shoved poor Rebecca and Damien in before turning and closing the door behind her.

"Praetor?" Toni came to a stop in front of her, looking from Reyna to the door "Is everything okay"

Reyna swallowed but kept her face levelled "Is there something you need?" she asked, why did it have to be Toni, Reyna prayed to the Gods that she had not seen anything, the last thing she needed was the flirty doctor finding out that Damien was here, much less in Reyna's room.

Reyna had learnt a while ago that Toni was a bit of a gossip, she had let it slip that the child of Letus had no heartbeat, luckily not many believed her and he had left before she could prove it

"Samson was asking if you had made a decision yet" she kept eyeing the door "Maybe we should talk in your room… more private y'know"

Reyna's jaw clenched, Toni knew she was trying to keep her out, but she prayed that the medic did not know the reason why

"That is not necessary Toni, tell Samson that I am still thinking it all over, there are a lot of variables to consider" she drew herself up to her full height "You can get back to your duties now centurion" she commanded

Toni's eyes darted to her door one last time "Of course Praetor, have a good day"

Reyna didn't like the way Toni's eyes lingered on the door, but she didn't give away any sign that she had or hadn't seen anything incriminating, Reyna's dark eyes watched as Toni walked away, glancing back at the Praetor before rounding the corner and descending the stairs, Reyna waited a moment longer making sure that the daughter of Apollo had gone.

She entered the room to see Damien face down on the floor, his entire body weight on top of the smaller Demigod, Rebecca struggled to get out from underneath him

"Rebecca!" exclaimed Reyna rushing forwards and rolling Damien off of her, he was still out "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

She gasped as the weight was removed from her "He smells horrible" she said standing, she looked up at Reyna "Please Reyna what is going on? Why was the Titaness here? And this guy?" she asked looking worried

"Rebecca" Reyna began "Even I do not know the whole story yet, please trust me like you always have, this is bigger than us"

Rebecca looked down at the passed out form on the floor, she nodded slowly

Reyna smiled at her "I have one more thing I want you to do Rebecca"

Green eyes met hers "Yes Praetor?"

"I need you to go find Centurion Hazel and bring her here, tell her nothing of what has happened and be sure you are not followed" she took Rebecca's hand for a moment "Be vigilant"

The younger Demigod looked worriedly at her commander but nodded and left the room.

Reyna turned to Damien who was still splayed across the floor, she knelt beside him and took in his features, underneath all the hair and abuse he still looked like the same man she had met almost a year ago, her nose wrinkled slightly, Rebecca was right he did smell bad

"After we get you patched up you need a long shower" she stroked his dirty hair, not quiet believing that he was really here, maybe Somnus the God of Dreams was playing with her emotions and she would wake up any second without Damien.

Damien mumbled something

"What?" Reyna leant closer so she could hear

"Cannot find her" he whispered croakily, his eyes still closed

"Who Damien? Elena?" Reyna asked, but Damien was unconscious again, his breathing slow and even

Reyna continued to watch his face as she waited for Hazel to come, he seemed so much older than when she last saw him, his face was tanned and weathered, cuts and bruises marred his skin, she reached over and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the S.P.Q.R tattoo, she ran a thumb over it gently, remembering that it was her design he chose to have on his body, but her eyes caught sight of new scars on his forearm, one looked like a serious burn, it was old now and pale, but it looked like it hurt at the time.

"What happened to you?" she whispered

There was a sudden knock at the door and Reyna jumped to her feet, she cracked the door open so she could see who stood there

"Hazel come in" she all but dragged the Daughter of Pluto inside, and locked the door behind them, her glittering golden eyes instantly finding the body on the floor, her jaw dropping


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Told you we would see him again" Hazel boasted

Reyna gave her a look "This is hardly the time Hazel"

The two women looked down at their unconscious friend,

"What happened to him? He looks like a beaten tramp" Hazel asked kneeling down to take a closer look "Smells like one too"

"I don't know but he was brought by Moneta" Reyna paused when Hazel's eyes looked back up at her in disbelief "She is collecting her favour, but first she said we had to fix him" she gestured to Damien

"How do you suppose we do that?" Hazel asked "Is he just drunk?" she asked when the smell hit her nose

Reyna thought for a moment before looking towards her bathroom "Well… I have one idea" Hazel followed her gaze and nodded

Together they dumped him into the walk-in shower in Reyna's en-suite, they had managed to get his dirty jacket off but Reyna thought it wasn't right to undress him further, Hazel stepped back as Reyna turned on the cold water on full. There was a moment of silence before Damien twitched under the icy shower, then he gasped and tried to lunge forward but Reyna leapt towards him and held him under the water, strong hands wrapped around her wrists as he tried to pry the hands off of him

"Damien!" Reyna called over the water "Damien it's okay, it's Reyna, just stay under the water for a little while"

Damien shook his head and blinked through the downpour at Reyna, his eyes widening in what looked like fear, his body went ridged as he stared straight at her.

"You're gonna be okay" she tried to sound reassuring but the look in his eyes made her feel unsure.

There was a long silence, the only sound was the water falling, Damien and Reyna still kept their grip on one another, watching each other

"Reyna?" he said quietly, water getting in his mouth

"Yes it's me" she moved a hand to push the soaked hair from his face, revealing his golden brown eyes, they had a red tinge to them, probably due to whatever he had been drinking

"No… no I can't do this again" he released her and tried to back away, but Reyna held on and was pulled under the showers water "I can't"

Reyna shivered from the sudden chill of the icy waters "Damien calm down, it's okay"

"Why do you keep torturing me like this?" he demanded, but he did not seem to direct it at Reyna "Leave me be"

"Damien… no one is going to hurt you, you are safe here" she vowed trying to pull his attention back to her "You're safe with me"

"This isn't real" Damien muttered to himself, he continued to shake his head "Not real"

Reyna reached up and shut off the water, she took her hands and moved them so she held Damien's face, forcing him to look at her

"Damien this is real, you are at Camp Jupiter" she said commandingly "You are here with me right now and I need you to snap out of it" she slapped him hard enough to leave a red mark

He gasped and moved his head back hitting it on the wall hard, he blinked rapidly and looked at Reyna, this time it was like he could really see her

"Reyna" he touched her face gently "This isn't a dream?"

"No Damien" She said revelling in his warm touch, she looked him up and down, taking in his tatty clothes and over grown hair "What happened to you?" she asked concerned

Damien smiled at her weakly "It's been a long 10 months" he looked down at his soaked clothes "Got any spare clothes? Preferably not purple" he attempted to joke with a small smile, but his eyes still held uneasiness

Reyna returned his smile "I will get you some new clothes, you take a proper shower then we will talk"

"Yer, you stink" called Hazel as she moved into the other room "And get rid of that hideous beard"

Damien kept his eyes on Reyna "You got a razor?" he asked, but his eyes just watched her still uncertain if what he was seeing was real

Reyna grabbed him what he needed and left him in the bathroom, closing the door behind her, she listened to the door for a moment

"So what was that about?" Hazel asked as she had made herself comfortable, reclining on Reyna's bed

"I don't know" Reyna said sitting next to her, she exhaled "I really don't know, maybe it is a side-effect of being transported by Muses"

"Or maybe him being absolutely smashed?" Hazel looked at her with a slightly worried expression "He looks like a hobo… smells like one too"

Reyna ran a hand through her wet hair, she grabbed a towel ignoring the comment by Hazel "We don't know anything yet Hazel"

The younger demigod nudged her "How are you feeling with him back?"

Reyna stayed quiet for a moment thinking over the question, she had been so happy to see him again but seeing the state he was in and the fear in his eyes when he had first seen her, she wanted to understand, but she wanted to let him do something normal so he could maybe relax a little bit more

"I just want to make sure he is okay" she muttered, drying the ends of her hair

She had sent Rebecca to get some male clothes for Damien to change into and now she watched the out the window, she didn't know why but she felt as though she was being watched, maybe she was just being paranoid because she couldn't see anyone acting suspicious, just demigods wandering around doing their duties.

The opening of the bathroom door made her turn, the words in her throat fading away when she saw Damien standing there in just a towel that was wrapped around his waist, she could feel her cheeks heating slightly as she took in his impressive figure, he might have turned to alcohol but it looked like he kept up with his workout

"Hey" His shaggy hair was still wet but at least he had shaved that horrible beard off "Anyone know how to cut hair?" he asked


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Damien now clothed sat in a chair in the bathroom as Reyna ran a comb through his hair, she tried to concentrate but she could hardly believe he was back let alone in her bedroom again.

"So…" Hazel started feeling Reyna's hesitation "What happened to you?"

Damien sighed "It's been… difficult" he began "I made my way to San Diego, that was probably my first mistake"

"How so?" asked Reyna as she began snipping at his shaggy hair

"Elena was from a very wealthy family down there, her uncle owns most of the businesses and it wasn't long before her brother Elliot found me, he had apparently put a bounty on my head after I disappeared from San Diego"

"A couple of Demigods found me after the first night, they jumped me and shoved a bag over my head, next thing I knew I was tied to a chair in their mansion. Let's just say he was not too happy to see me… not that I could blame him"

"Hey" Reyna said, hand lingering on the back of his neck "Elena's death was not your fault, it was a car accident" she brushed her fingertips against the base of his hairline

Damien allowed his eyes to close for a split second enjoying the contact, before opening them and staring straight ahead an uneasy feeling in his stomach

"Technically yes but I was supposed to protect her, that was my one job in this world…" he felt a stinging at the back of his eyes but he would not let it show "Plus she wouldn't even be at the spot at that time if it was not for me… I took my punishment, but then he started torturing my mind"

Hazel stood slowly allowing her abilities to sense the magic in the air "How?" she asked as she searched his body for magic

"Elena and her twin brother Elliot are children of Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, they both had the power to manipulate people's dreams, make them see what they want to see, kinda like the mist only while you are asleep..." Damien's mind flashed back to a different time "Elena used to give me dreams when we were together, she said she enjoyed giving people beautiful dreams… her brother on the other hand was not so pleasant, he was such a contrast to Elena, he was very controlling when it came to her and he had the power and money to enforce it"

Reyna's hands slowed as she listened to his story, the marks across his body making more sense, he had been Elliot's personal punch bag, her grip tightened on the scissors as her anger bubbled

"He made me see things… he made me do awful things in those dreams, he would trick me" Damien rubbed his hands together, he pulled a pen knife out of his pocket and twisted it in fingers "Sometimes I didn't know if I was awake or still dreaming, I had to figure out a way to find out what world I was in and eventually I found one, it took me a long time and I was close to giving up but I found one"

In one swift movement he stabbed his own hand, letting out a grunt of pain

"DAMIEN" Reyna yelled in shock, she moved into action and easily disarmed him and grabbed the towel that had been wrapped around his shoulders, pressing it against his bleeding hand

"What in Jupiter's name do you think you are doing?" she demanded looking up into his eyes

He shrugged "In dreams the dreamer can't draw their own blood..." he looked up at Reyna "I had to be sure you were real"

"Of course I'm real" she said

"Y'know you've said that a lot in my dreams" he murmured "Anyway about a week ago I got out, it took a lot out of me, I've been dodging bounty hunters ever since"

There was a moment of silence, Reyna looking into his eyes, there was a look she knew well in those golden-brown eyes. She knew what he had had to do when he escaped

"And the smell?" asked Hazel, she made a gesture as if she were drinking from a bottle

Damien hung his head slightly "Yer… that, it helps the nightmares go away, makes it so I can sleep for a few hours" he shrugged sadly "I'm not proud of it, but I did what I had to do to survive and if that meant finding the bottom of several bottles just to keep myself sane…"

"Nobody is judging you Damien, we've all done things we are not proud of" Reyna said moving back around to finish cutting his hair

"So…" Damien said trying to change the subject "How exactly did I get here?"

Hazel cocked an eyebrow "Do you not remember?"

"I wasn't really in the best state last night" he admitted

Hazel nodded slowly and met Reyna's sad gaze, she could see the way Reyna remained behind Damien, no doubt trying to hide her reaction from him.

Reyna and Hazel proceeded to fill him in on what they knew, they told him about being visited by Moneta and her daughter's disappearance and the quest that the titaness had assigned to them and Reyna told them that Moneta had given them a map of places she was not, which was only partially helpful

"Where was she taken from?" asked Hazel

Reyna shrugged "Moneta didn't say and I have no way to contact her" she finished up with his hair, not really that proud of her work "We are on our own from here"

Hazel moved to the door "So where do we start Praetor?"

Both set of eyes turned to her, she taking her usual role as the leader, it was what she was good at

"We find out everything we can about Euterpe" she stated, following Hazel from the bathroom with Damien in tow and setting to work in Reyna's bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hazel had left to find a few books in New Rome's archive for books on the muses, she had been gone for about 10 minutes now and Reyna realised this was the first time she had been alone with Damien since he left, well with him being conscious.

She tried to focus on the vapour in front of her, she had one made in her bathroom so she could communicate with the others at Camp Half Blood in privacy, but still she couldn't help but think that Damien was sitting on her bed awaiting Hazel's return.

Reyna sighed and threw a golden denarii into the vapour and it hovered there mid-air for a moment before disappearing, her offering accepted by Iris

"Annabeth Chase, Camp Half Blood" she said, her eyes watching as the vapour whirled and brightened

A familiar face appeared, her blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail and a large grin on her face

"Reyna" she greeted in surprise "How are you?" she beamed

"Hello Annabeth, I'm afraid this is not a social call" she attempted a small smile

Annabeth's face dropped slightly "Is everything okay?" she asked, her grey eyes becoming serious

Reyna leaned back in her chair "A couple of associates and I are on a quest to help Moneta, one of her daughters is missing"

"Moneta…" Annabeth thought for a moment "Ah Mnemosyne, right… wait one of the Muses is missing? That would explain the odd behaviour"

Reyna's ears perked up "Odd behaviour?" she asked

Annabeth sighed and ran a hand over her blonde locks "One of the campers has been feeling very ill, complaining that the beauty was gone, he is one of the few children of the muses we have come across, Reyna…" she paused "He is losing his sight, his body is weak"

"What?!"

"Chiron didn't know what was wrong with him" she rubbed her forehead "But if this is connected then it could be bad if she isn't found soon"

"Moneta… I mean Mnemosyne did say that the muses were not themselves when they were apart by long distance" Reyna glanced out of her window "She also said the mortal world would feel it's affect first, that there may be ramifications"

The grey eyes darkened "What type of ramifications?" she asked, but it was clear that she had already figured it out

"War amongst the mortals, war with the gods, Mnemosyne said that art was linked with everything, without it chaos" silence fell between the two

"What can I do to help?" she asked

Reyna leaned forward "I need anything you can tell me about the muses, especially Euterpe, it has to be someone linked to them, to go through all this trouble and only take one from underneath the nose of a titan"

The blonde nodded "Anything we can do to help, I will look in the archives here and get back to you as soon as I found anything"

"Thank you Annabeth" the praetor said gratefully

"Speak to you soon" she promised

Then the blonde was gone and returned to the normal vapours, Reyna exhaled

"This is bad isn't it" Damien spoke from behind her, Reyna didn't hear his approach

She turned to look at him "Yes Damien… yes it is"

There was a knock at the door and Damien turned to get it

"No!" hissed Reyna grabbing Damien's arm and pulling him back and up against the wall

"Wha-?" a hand clamped down over his mouth as he looked into Reyna's serious dark eyes

"Shhhh" she whispered "Nobody knows you are here and they can't know… not yet"

They stared at one another for a moment as another knock sounded, Damien eventually nodded and Reyna dropped her hand, he silently moved towards the bathroom and stepped inside and out of sight

One the third knock Reyna swung the door open to find Hazel with a load of heavy books in her hands

"About time" she stepped past Reyna and into the room and dropping the heavy books on the table "Do you realise how heavy these are, I couldn't even get Frank to help me"

"I'm sorry Hazel" She sighed, closing the door behind her and re-locking it

Damien appeared from the bathroom "So, why can people not know I am here? Am I your dirty little secret?" he winked at the girls

Reyna and Hazel shared a look between themselves, Hazel nodded in encouragement

Reyna sat on the edge of her desk "Well after you left and we returned, it turned out that someone had started rumours of the fact you had no heartbeat and that I was hiding this from the leaders of New Rome"

She saw Damien's hand start to move towards his chest, but he dropped it once he realised what he was doing

"If it got out that I knew and didn't inform the senate… then it could be bad for my position and for you" Reyna admitted

Damien came to stand in front of the Praetor "I'm really sorry Reyna, I never wanted to get in the way of your leadership" he thought for a moment "Who was spreading these rumours?"

Reyna shook her head slowly, knowing how much he had liked Toni "It doesn't matter"

Damien stepped closer seeing the hesitation in her dark eyes "Who Reyna?" he asked again

"Toni" interjected Hazel, obviously not having the same reservations as Reyna had "Apparently she couldn't keep her big mouth shut"

Damien turned to look at the daughter of Pluto and then his eyes landed back on Reyna

"Toni?" he asked, a slight anger in his voice

Reyna looked up at him and stood "It doesn't matter now" she said with her Praetor voice "We have bigger concerns right now" she grabbed a book and handed it to Damien, their eyes meeting

"I'm sorry Reyna" he whispered, as he took the book he placed his hand over hers in an attempt to show his sympathy for what he had caused

Reyna felt his warm strong hand, but she had to pull away, she couldn't go through this again, not when the world could possibly be in threat. She grabbed herself a book and settled into her desk chair, opening the ancient book her eyes scanning the Latin words.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hazel had fallen asleep a little over an hour ago, the oversized book placed on her lap, Reyna hadn't had the heart to wake her, she had done so much already and deserved the rest. The Praetor's shoulders had begun to ache as she hunched over a dusty old book about the titans, the muses had been mentioned a couple of times but nothing of importance. She glanced out of the window to see the half-moon high in the night sky, her eyes moved down to see Damien, he had sat on the floor and was still reading through a manuscript of Apollo's time in ancient Rome, he glanced up to see her watching him, Reyna dropped her gaze back to her book immediately.

She heard him move and heard the footsteps as he walked over to her, he placed a hand on the back of her chair and another on the desk beside her, so his face was close to her ear

"If you wanna get some rest I will keep looking" he offered quietly so he did not disturb Hazel

Reyna tried to ignore the soft breath on her skin and the warmth radiating off him, he smelled better now as well, unfortunately it was from her own soap

"I'm okay thanks" she said but a yawn contradicted her and her eyes felt heavy

Damien gave her a knowing look "C'mon Reyna get some sleep, we've got a long road ahead of us" he gave her a small smile, he stared for a long moment, admiring her

"What?" she asked shyly, looking up into his almost glowing Golden brown gaze, her heart beating a little harder.

He tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear "I've missed you" he said earnestly

Reyna swallowed awkwardly, she was finding it hard to breathe as she gazed into those eyes

"I… I uh" she began as she watched his eyes flicker to her lips and back to her eyes, he slowly began to lean forward

"I uh" she continued to stutter, she could almost feel his lips "I think I'm going to get some rest" she said pulling away and standing quickly, backing towards the bathroom

Damien stood awkward and wide eyed "Reyna… I'm sorry" he looked down at his feet "I… I just, I'm an idiot"

Reyna shook her head "It's okay… no need to apologize, I just… I need to get some rest, it's been a long day" she tried to explain as she stepped into the bathroom, hand on the door ready to close it

Damien nodded and watched as she closed the door, he sat himself back down on the floor and tried to focus on the manuscript, feeling like a fool, he had obviously misinterpreted, why would she be interested in someone as damaged as him, the guy who kept jeopardising her position as Praetor.

Reyna however was leant against the other side of the door with her head in her hands, she was trying to slow her breathing, she had been so close to giving into the kiss. She couldn't do this, there was too much at stake, she didn't know if he would leave again and she feared that if he didn't then there were consequences for them both ahead, she couldn't get in any deeper then she already was.

She moved to the sink and ran a bowl of water, she looked into her mirror, she looked terrible, dark rings shadowed his eyes and her hair was falling out of place, she reached down and scooped up some of the cold water, splashing it over her features and taking a deep breath as it ran down her heated skin.

She removed her cape and folded it neatly, placing it onto the shelves just to the side of the shower, she removed the rest of her clothing and entered the shower allowing the hot water to run over her body, she stayed in there for a while trying to clear her mind, it didn't work and she gave up. She dried her hair and redressed, she tried to find another reason not to go back into her bedroom, she wasn't ready to face Damien just yet, her cheeks still felt a little flushed.

But she found nothing and inhaled steadying her nerve, she was Praetor and she would not fear her own feelings. She unlocked the door and gently pushed it open, her eyes finding Hazel still soundly asleep on her bed, she scanned the rest of the room finding Damien in her chair, he was making notes on a piece of paper, he didn't look up at her as she entered and moved to the other side of the room. She settled herself down on the other side of the bed next to hazel, still Damien didn't say or do anything but keep his eyes on the paper, it was clear to Reyna that she had upset him and it tore at her heart but everything was bigger than what they may or may not feel for one another.

She closed her eyes, but found it hard to find sleep, she could hear Damien breathing slowly, every now and again he would scribble something down on the paper. She tried to clear her mind and relax but her mind was still running with the events of the day, everything had happened so quickly, she was visited by a titaness who gave her a quest and dumped Damien back into her life, he had been tortured for months and was still a little hung-over and then to top it all off he had tried to kiss her.

Eventually she found slumber, but her dreams were anything but peaceful, the titaness Moneta appeared to her, asking if they had found anything yet, her voice echoing around Reyna's mind.

What have you found young Praetor?

"Nothing yet Lady Moneta, but we are still researching… is there anything you can think of to aid us, any enemies Euterpe or any of the other Muses may have?" she asked

The dream swirled and showed what Reyna assumed were the nine muses

My daughters keep the laws of the arts, they are the judges of everything, they have made many enemies as have we all in the name of art

Reyna's dream darkened and Moneta released her back to sleep


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Reyna"

Someone was shaking her gently

"Reyna, wake up"

Reyna slowly opened her eyes, hand tightening on her dagger, her dark eyes meeting tired golden brown ones, Damien looked down at her

"I found something" he said as he stepped back, dropping his gaze looking a little nervous

Reyna rubbed her eyes and put away her dagger, she sat up to see no Hazel, just Damien moving back to her desk. As she approached he pulled her chair out for her so she could sit, she looked at the papers and the scrawls of Damien's. Her eyes landed on a name she hadn't heard of before

"Thamyris?" she asked looking up at Damien, who kept his eyes firmly on the page placed on the table, she could tell he was trying to avoid her gaze after what had almost happened last night

"He was a mortal, son of a Thracian king" he said pointing at the paper "He was said to be one of the greatest singers of his time, but as always there was a down side"

"Of course there is" Reyna sighed

"He boasted that he was the greatest vocalist, even then the God Apollo… And let's face it, that didn't go down well with Apollo or the muses, Apollo was so confident in his own musical abilities that he even vowed that if he lost Thamyris would be able to wed any of the Muses, he chose Euterpe, Muse of music"

Reyna looked at him for a long moment, realising that he had possibly solved who had taken the muse, he glanced down at her but swiftly moved his eyes back to the book

"I know it's not much to go on" he admitted "But it is the best lead I could find in the research we have here"

Reyna looked back up at him, studying his features, It was then that the praetor realised the exhausted look in his eyes "Did you sleep at all last night?"

His silence was all that she needed to confirm her suspicions

"I appreciate the work but you need your rest Damien"

"No its okay I'm fine" he said attempting a smile at her "Got any Redbull?" He joked, he turned to lean against the window, looking out at the view of Camp Jupiter and the rolling fields that surrounded it.

"Damien go rest, I will take over and besides I need to do some Praetor duties today so I will be out" she moved to stand beside him "I need you to stay in here, no going on the roof and keep the door closed and locked"

"Yep" he answered, leaning his forehead against the cold smooth window pane, sighing, he hated the feeling of being locked in, like he hadn't had enough of that over the past 10 months

Reyna watched him for a moment seeing reluctance in his tired half open eyes, she placed a hand on his arm "Damien..." she turned him so he faced her "Go lay down"

Damien shook his head "I'm fine, go do your duty, just bring back some food?" he gave her a sloppy half smile and a wink that seemed to take forever with his exhaustion level

Reyna nodded and squeezed his arm "Please try and rest Damien, I will be back in a couple of hours to check, don't open the door except for me or Hazel"

He nodded and returned to looking out the window

Reyna dropped her hand and grabbed her cloak, quickly redoing her hair and opening the door, locking it behind her

She took a deep breath closing her eyes for a moment, composing herself, she straightened and put on her stoic mask before turning and walking regally down the corridor, pretending to the world that everything was as it should be.

As Reyna approached her office she wanted to turn straight back around, standing there looming over Rebecca was Samson, Son of Apollo, he seemed to be demanding something from her, Rebecca squirmed a little under his intense gaze but held her own.

"Where is she?" he glared down at her

"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk to my assistant like that" Reyna said commandingly as she came to stand behind him "She is doing as instructed"

He turned in surprise "Ah Praetor Ramirez, I was just trying to find out where you were as I didn't receive an answer yesterday" he said straightening away from the younger demigod

Reyna resisted the urge to roll her eyes "It hasn't even been 24 hours, I have other duties to perform with the rest of the camp, it will take time to get your answers Samson"

She began to go into her office but felt his presence behind her, she turned sharply "That is your answer" she said firmly, she stared him down, using her powerful gaze until he nodded in respect and walked back down the corridor.

Reyna turned to look at Rebecca who was watching Samson leave, dislike covering her eyes

"You okay?" Reyna asked placing a comforting hand on her shoulder

Rebecca nodded "Yer, he was just being his usual charming self" she grumbled, she glanced down the hallway to check if anyone was there "How is your friend?" she asked quietly

"He is at least conscious now, but there is much troubling him and that's not even starting with what I have dumped on him" Reyna felt a little guilty, she shook her head "Anyway I have to do some research, is there anything major on the agenda for today?"

Rebecca tapped on her computer "No meetings as of yet, just looks like the usual paperwork" she looked back up at her Praetor "Is there anything I can get you Praetor?"

Reyna shook her head and smiled down at her "No thank you Rebecca, I just don't want too many interruptions today I have a lot to do not to mentions the usual workload"

"Of course" she smiled

Reyna entered her office and closed the door behind her, she took a deep breath it hadn't even been 24 hours since Moneta had come to her and she already felt exhausted, she had thought her life was getting back to normal, getting back into her natural rhythm but now her head was spinning with everything that happened.

She sat and took another deep breath before opening her laptop, a gift from Annabeth and the Camp Half-blood camp, it was like her Daedalus laptop and had all known files on both Roman and Greek history and Gods.

She typed in the name Thamyris and clicked search, she began to read he files on him finding more information to add to the stuff Damien had found last night… her mind drifted to the demigod upstairs, she hoped he was getting some well-earned rest, but with what he had told her and Hazel yesterday he was probably afraid to sleep. Her heart dropped slightly but she had work to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Reyna dropped her head into her hands, exhaling longingly she had been string at the screen for a half the day now, Rebecca had brought in some food for her earlier but it sat there untouched, Reyna had been too focused to really take anything in. She looked at all the notes she had written down from the information on the laptop, Damien was right he had been a great singer back in the ancient Greek times, but he was big headed and believed himself to be greater than Apollo himself and he was not afraid to share that opinion with all of Thrace.

When he was confronted by the god Apollo himself, he challenged the god to a competition to find out who the best singer was in all the cosmos and taunted the God, exclaiming that his people would choose him, the muses were with the god and they laid out the rules of the competition, the people of Thrace would decide, being the Prince of Thrace Thamyris thought her would have the peoples vote as well. He was so confident in his own abilities that he demanded that if he were to win he could marry Euterpe, just to flaunt his winnings, the muse agreed and they swore on the river Styx.

Though Thamyris was an amazing singer it was nothing compared to the beauty and purity of Apollo's voice, the people chose Apollo and for his hubris the god planned a humiliating punishment for the prince, it was too simple just to lay waste to him, no the god had something else planned, he spoke with the muses and they agreed with the plan.

They took away the only thing that Thamyris truly cared about, they took away his talent, he could no longer sing or play the lyre, couldn't write the poetry that had made him so popular, they took away something more important to him than his life, nothing much was heard of Thamyris after this encounter, it said that he ran away, ashamed of what had become of him.

It would make sense that he would be the one behind this but there was a problem, he was just a mortal, he had died back in ancient times. Reyna ran a hand through her hair, this was the only lead they really had and it seemed impossible for him to be the one behind this.

She glanced at the clock, Damien had been locked way by himself for 5 hours now, she should really go and check on him and bring him some food if Hazel hadn't done so already, but she hadn't heard from the daughter of Pluto. She pushed herself away from the desk and walked out of her office,

"I will be back in a while Rebecca" she said as she made her way down the corridor

"Of course Praetor"

Reyna made her way upstairs, keeping an eye out for anything out of place or anyone like Toni hanging around, but she saw nothing, as she neared her door she listened for a moment, no sound came from the other side. She took her key and slowly unlocked the door, taking another glance around just to be sure before entering, her eyes instantly scanning the room for Damien, finding the demigod slumped over on the desk, she was about to panic but saw his torso rising and falling with slow breaths.

She closed the door behind her and relocked it, she moved over to the desk and watched him for a moment, looking at peace once again. Then something caught Reyna's eye, a piece of paper underneath his arm, she gentle pulled it from under him so she could see it properly, her jaw dropped as she gazed at the page.

It was a portrait done in pen, a portrait of Reyna, she ran a finger over the smooth paper, the detail on it was amazing, she couldn't believe he had done this from memory alone, the portrait showed her with a slight smile, Reyna looked happy in it.

"NO!"

Reyna jumped back slightly, startled by Damien's sudden outburst, she dropped the drawing and looked down at him, his face though still sleeping looked almost terrified

"Damien?" she said shaking him slightly "Damien wake up"

His body began to quiver, his breathing becoming ragged, his fists clenched on the desk top

"No…" he grunted through gritted teeth "I won't"

Reyna started to shake him more forcibly trying to wake him "Damien wake up" her voice was louder

"Damien" she said again worry in her voice, it must have been the son of Morpheus plaguing his mind again, to see him like this it was breaking Reyna's heart, to see the man who always seemed so full of light so full of fear in his own mind.

She needed to stop it, she raised her hand and brought her palm down hard against his cheek, his eyes flew open and he forced himself back, but in doing so he tipped the chair back too far and fell to the floor with a thump, his eyes looking around the room wildly, Reyna came to kneel beside him, hands grasping his face forcing him to look at her

"Damien it's okay it was just a dream" She kept him still, her voice soothing "You're here with me, it's okay"

His golden brown eyes were wide and confused, not knowing if this truly was the real world or just another sick dream that Elliot had concocted. He looked at Reyna felt her hands on his face, thumbs stroking his cheeks, he prayed for this to be real, but he had to be sure, his eyes dropped to where Reyna had her dagger attached to her belt, in one swift move he grabbed it.

Reyna realised what her was doing but she was too late to disarm him, he rolled back with some speed out of her reach, her instincts took over and she lunged for him as she saw him run the blade along his forearm, blood seeped out as she collided in with him.

She then found herself on top of the son of Letus, looking down into his eyes as they lay on the floor together, he had dropped the dagger and his hands were now on her hips, hers either side of his head, Damien's features looked a little surprised at the way she had lunged at him, but she could see his eyes soften as they watched her, their faces close together, feeling each-others breath across their skin, the pair of them silent and unmoving.

Neither heard the door unlock until Hazel cleared her throat, both demigods snapping their gaze up to her as she stood there with a tray full of food

"Well…" she began "Nice to see you guys hard at work" not even trying to supress the smile that was plastered over her face

Reyna's cheeks flared red as she pushed herself to her feet and backed away from Damien, who stood quickly and excused himself to the bathroom to clean his new wound.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The three of them ate in silence an awkward essence in the air, Reyna refused to look at either of them whereas Damien couldn't help but look up at her, stealing glances, memorising the way her hair fell in cascades down her shoulders, how even when she sat on her bed her posture was so regal and strong, he knew that she had found the drawing he had done of her, but she didn't say anything.

He dropped his eyes again remembering last night and how she had pulled away from him, he felt a pull in his chest a tightening of his lungs, he placed a hand on his chest and felt the hollow emptiness of an un-beating heart.

Hazel's glowing eyes darted between the two, she was getting a little fed up with the will they, won't they situation, she understood that from both sides there were feelings but also reservations about their own personal problems. But she couldn't sit here in silence much longer, she cleared her throat

"So this Greek guy Thamyris, he is our best lead?" she asked looking at the demigods either sides of her

Damien looked up to Reyna's beautiful dark eyes again, Reyna swallowed and pulled her gaze from the son of Letus

"At the moment yes but he is a mortal and has been dead since ancient times" she picked at her food, not really feeling hungry "It seems impossible, but it is the strongest connection to Euterpe, everything about him just fits almost perfectly apart from the fact that he is dead"

Hazel thought for a moment before her eyes landed on Damien, her golden eyes formulating a plan "Well there is one way to know for certain if he is truly in the Underworld"

Damien looked up from his food and met her eyes, he did not like the way she was looking at him, like he was a tool she needed to use

"Why she looking at me like that?" he asked Reyna but held Hazel's golden gaze

Reyna watched Hazel closely, indeed seeing the signs of her mind working

"Hazel?" she began "What are you thinking?"

Hazel smiled a little at Damien, but it was a sad smile, like she was sorry to ask this of him "We need to contact someone who would know if anyone used the doors of death to free Thamyris from the Underworld and there is only one that would know for certain"

Reyna understood instantly, her eyes going to Damien too, knowing that he would not like this but Hazel was right, it was the only way to know

His eyes golden brown eyes shifted between the two women "I'm not gonna like this am I?" he asked with a sigh, leaning back against the wall, ready to hear their plan

"Damien" Hazel started looking a little bit shy "We need you to contact your father, Letus"

Damien stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly "Yep, knew I wasn't going to like it" he muttered looking down at his food, nudging his burger "It won't work"

Both girls had heard the tone, both saw the sadness and anger mixed in his eyes, his jaw clenching

"What's wrong" Reyna asked watching his features carefully,

Damien sighed and looked up at the Praetor's kind brown eyes "I prayed for his help back in San Diego, I asked him to give me strength or even to take me from this world"

Reyna felt her heart tighten at his words and the hurt he tried to conceal in his voice, she couldn't even imagine what he had gone through, to be pushed so far that he prayed for death, the Praetor could feel her eyes stinging, but swallowed back her sorrow

"And he ignored my pleas, as I was being broken and beaten over and over again, my father left me to rot at the hands of that Greek psychopath" Reyna could see the hurt and anger in his eyes as he spoke of his father "He never uttered a word..."

His gaze returned to his food taking a deep breath, calming himself slightly "So why should he come now? Why would he listen to a single damnare word I have to say" His voice was filled with venom towards his father and the three fell silent

Reyna couldn't really blame him for feeling resentment for his father after everything Damien had to go through alone, not many gods spoke to their children an awful lot, but they could hear when their child was in need and for Letus to just ignore Damien's prayers it was plain cold, maybe the god of death just didn't care.

"Cant your dad find out?" Damien's voice brining Reyna out of her own mind, he was obviously trying to get the focus off of him

Hazel shrugged, exhaling after hearing Damien's story "He doesn't really have much to do with the doors of death... it mainly Letus, I can ask but I don't know what the reply will be if any" she wished she could give him a better answer

Damien nodded then excused himself, walking into the bathroom his shoulders heavy with anger and sorrow, he rested his hands on the edges of the sink, his head hung with the weight of everything.

Seeing him leave the door open, Reyna stood and followed ignoring the look on Hazel's face, she needed to check on Damien and keep him calm

"Let me know if you hear anything from Pluto" Reyna muttered to the smaller Demigod, Hazel nodded, knowing that was Reyna's way of asking her to leave, giving her and Damien some privacy, she left, closing the door softly behind her.

Reyna leaned on the door frame for a moment watching as Damien splashed cold water on his face, he looked at himself in the mirror and caught sight of the Praetor behind him, they watched each other again for a long moment neither knowing what to say,

Eventually Reyna broke eye contact and looked out of her bedroom window on the far side of the room, the sun was just about setting, she had an idea, it was risky but seeing the way Damien was now locked away in her room having been through so much, she allowed her eyes to fall on his handsome features again, seeing he had turned and now faced her, watching her closely

"Be ready in an hour" Reyna said before returning to the main room, her cheeks heating from Damien's intense gaze "But for now take a moment"

Damien closed the door stepping back and sitting on the cold floor, head in his hands, reaching into his pocket he pulled out a torn photograph, his eyes stinging as he looked down at the smiling blonde, he ran his finger over her face, Elena

He had stolen it from Elliot's mansion when he escaped, after a moment he replaced it into his pocket sighing and leaning his head back against the wall. He couldn't believe that now he was back in Camp Jupiter, back with Reyna, he had never thought he would see her again.

And already he had screwed up and Reyna was risking her job once again, he wondered if under different circumstances they would have ever met again? He couldn't deny that he was making his way back to San Francisco, back to Reyna.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Damien opened the door a while later, he looked around, searching the small room for Reyna, but she wasn't here, his eyes darted to the clock, it had been an just over an hour since Reyna had said to meet him, but there was no sign of her, he hadn't heard the door open at all.

That's when he spied the paper on the bed, he walked over and grabbed it up, reading the well scripted lettering

Meet me on the roof, be careful no one sees you, R

He turned to the open window, feeling the night's cool breeze on his face as he approached it, he glanced out seeing a patrol going by, but apart from that the place was empty.

Slowly he pulled himself up onto the window ledge and leapt grabbing the roof and pulling himself up with ease, just like he had all those months ago, he silently wished he could go back to then, back when it was a little bit simpler, not that a demigod's life was simple.

His eyes instantly found Reyna, lying on her cape staring up at the stars, she didn't move at his approach. He sat beside her and laid down on the hard roof surface, for a moment he stared up at the stars but his eyes found their way to Reyna, she seemed engulfed by the stars, Damien couldn't help but watch her, her features were strong yet beautiful, her deep brown eyes reflecting the moonlight

"My favourite place to star gaze is on top Temple Hill" she whispered "But this will have to do"

"It's looking pretty good to me" he replied, instantly regretting his words

"How are you feeling?" she asked, changing the subject, she didn't look at him, even though he was sure she knew that he was watching her

Damien dragged his eyes away from her beauty to look at the sky, seeing the constellations that he was taught once long ago while thinking of an answer to give her

"Being up here is helping" he answered honestly he glanced back to her profile "After the past few months I have not grown any fondness of being confined within four walls" his mind flashed back to his time with Elliot, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to bring himself back to the present, his fists clenching as he saw flashes of his torture

"Damien?"

He opened his eyes to see Reyna's filled with concern for him

"Sorry… I'm fine" he said clearing his throat and sitting up, scratching his head. "Will you tell me about your nightmares?" she asked softly, instantly knowing the signs of PTSD, she had seen it in some of her soldiers when they returned

Damien looked back at her, seeing her eyes carrying such worry for him

"There is not much to tell Reyna" he lied, not wanting her to know what Elliot made him see and made him do in those nightmares, he sat up, so Reyna couldn't see his features clearly

But he could not hide anything from Reyna, she could see he was trying to spare her from something "Please Damien" her voice soft as she sat up with him "I want to help you, I don't want to see you in pain like this" she placed a hand on his shoulder

Damien dropped his head in shame "I can't" he whispered shaking his head slightly

He felt her scoot closer towards him, her voice low but soft "I don't want you to go through this alone, please talk to me" her grip on his shoulder tightened slightly, trying to give him the strength to tell her "It's me Damien"

Damien dared a glance at her and got lost in her deep brown eyes, they were so warm and trusting, Damien wrestled with his own mind for a moment before seeing the look on her face, he couldn't hide this from her, he had to reveal it

"I could handle the beatings, Jupiter knows I deserve a lot worse" he raised a hand as he saw Reyna start to disagree "But he soon realised that it wasn't having the effect he wanted, so he got into my head, when my body finally gave into exhaustion he squirmed his way into my mind and found things to torture me with, scenarios that I couldn't win no matter what I did"

Reyna could see the sadness fill his eyes, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, but she remained still, she couldn't get emotionally involved with Damien, it wasn't her destiny, so she just listened with the comforting touch on his shoulder

"He found a weakness of mine" Damien muttered quietly, his mind miles away, he fell silent as he remembered one of the many dreams that Elliot had damaged him with

"Elena?" asked Reyna slowly, not wanting to push him too far too fast

Damien blinked and stared right into Reyna's eyes, he shook his head and struggled to find a way to phrase it without sounding like a creep, he took a deep breath

"No not Elena, he realised soon that I could be hurt by going after another that I care about, someone still alive" he mumbled rubbing his hands together, like he was trying to get something off of them

Reyna remained quiet, a sinking suspicion in her stomach, she knew the name that was going to tumble from his lips and part of her wished it wasn't so

"You" he said softly, but he couldn't look at her he was afraid to see her reaction

Everything fell silent as they both sat there with no idea with what to say to the other, after another long moment Damien felt a warmth on his hand, he looked down to see Reyna's hand over his own, her thumb running over his knuckles soothingly

"What happens in the dreams?" she asked

This time their eyes met and Damien was once again astounded by her beauty in the pale moonlight, his heart sinks as he remembers the last nightmare Elliot had made him see

Damien turned his hand over so now he held her smaller hand, getting support from the contact

"Your death"

He didn't say anything further, though Reyna sensed there was more to that nightmare than he let on, she swallowed and saw the sadness in his golden brown eyes, he definitely wasn't the same man as she had met almost a year ago, he had found his memory but lost a lot more in the process and then to be tortured by this Elliot guy for Hades only knows how long.

She wanted to help him, he had so much light in him, he was always quick to a joke when they first met, charming to everyone and she wanted to help him get that back, it wasn't gone, just buried beneath the torture.

"I'm not going anywhere Damien" she said squeezing his hand "It's only a nightmare, something created by Elliot's disturbed mind"

"I don't know what's real anymore Reyna" he whispered into the night air

Reyna glanced down, hiding the tears that threatened to fall, her eyes seeing the scars on Damien's arms and the fresh one he had given himself today, he had said it was to make sure he was in the waking world, with her free hand she ran her fingertips over some of the older scars

"I don't want you hurting yourself anymore" she said sadly, she looked up into his sad eyes "I will do everything in my power to help you Damien"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Reyna was exhausted, her and Damien had spent most of the night up on that roof top, they hadn't said much after they talked about his nightmares, they had just watched the stars, their hands entwined until Reyna could barely keep her eyes open and fearing if she fell asleep up here that someone would see them in the morning.

Damien had nodded and helped her back into her bedroom, his hands lingering on her body for a little longer than necessary, his gaze holding hers for a long time, Reyna wanted to move closer but her Praetor brain told her that she couldn't and she stepped away.

"Thank you Reyna" he had whispered

She now sat at her desk looking over some paperwork, she had just gotten to the fifth request form that Samson had put in for his new medical experiments, she sighed and placed it with the others before pulling up her budget plans on her laptop, she couldn't not give him an answer no matter how much he had pissed her off over the past few days.

She tapped away as her eyes scanned the screen, seeing what area was spending more of New Rome's money than necessary, of course most of the funds were going into the army, into expeditions to find more Imperial Gold and travels for quests.

After a couple of hours she thought she may have found a solution but it would mean taking funds away from other areas of the medical section, but there was no other way

"Rebecca" she called out, the younger Demigod opened the door and waited for her instructions

"Can you summon Samson please" she asked, Rebecca nodded and closed the door gently

Reyna didn't have to wait long before there was a knock at her door, she took a breath to prepare herself for dealing with him

"Enter" she answered, her Praetor voice and posture coming back to her as she ignored how exhausted she truly was.

Samson entered looking a little smug, knowing he was finally getting his way, it pissed Reyna off a little that all the children of Apollo were so cocky, but this was part of what a Praetor's job, being fair to everyone.

"Praetor I trust you have thought through my request" he said sitting down, not even waiting for Reyna to offer him a seat "And have come to a decision"

Reyna bit her tongue slightly "Yes I have, but there are some conditions that I want to run by you"

Samson nodded "Of course Praetor"

Reyna pulled up the chart on her laptop and spun it so she could show it to the head of the medics, she gestured to the screen

"To be able to fund your expedition to get the items you require, it would mean taking away from the other areas"

Samson just stared at the screen

Reyna frowned but continued "So the medical supplies would have to be cut slightly and…" she stopped realising that Samson hadn't moved, not even blinking "Samson? Are you okay?" she asked, but there was no reply

Reyna stood slowly and moved round to stand beside him, when he still didn't move her hand instinctively went to her dagger

"He will be fine"

Reyna whirled around and was instantly disarmed by a strong being, her dagger flying across the room to embed itself into her bookshelf, her eyes found the intruder, her jaw dropping.

Before her stood a handsome man dressed in a well-tailored suit that fitted his form well, he had jet black hair and piercing golden eyes that watched her closely, but most of all the huge black wings that draped over his shoulder took her attention, looking at his features he looked very familiar. Then she understood why, why he looked so familiar to her, his son was almost the spitting image of him, just a little less well dressed.

"Lord Letus" she said, bowing her head slightly in respect

"Letus…" he said musingly "Yes that is my Roman name, but at the moment I am in my Greek form, Thanatos"

Reyna couldn't take her eyes off of the god, he was beautiful, Hazel had met him once before and said that he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Reyna couldn't deny it, she could certainly see where Damien got his good looks from

"Yes Lord Thanatos" she swallowed a little intimidated by the god before her, he may be handsome but there was a certain air about him that made Reyna's spine shiver "Your son is here, I can take you to him"

Thanatos raised his hand, stopping her words "Damien cannot know I am here, it is dangerous for him here, Mnemosyne should have never brought him back here and this is why I have come to you Reyna Ramirez Arellano"

Reyna couldn't believe what he was saying "My Lord if I may, he needs you right now, he has been tortured and is still being tormented by a son of Morpheus"

"I know very well what he has been through Miss Arellano" he snapped, his eyes flaring gold "Do not think for a moment that I do not know what has happened to him or where he had been over the last 10 months"

The god took a breath and smoothed back his hair getting his composure back

"I am not here to talk about that Praetor" he turned to face out of the window "You have been set a quest by the Titaness Mnemosyne, one of the muses has been kidnapped, I have already seen the effect it has had on the mortal world"

"Effect?" asked Reyna

"Yes, the mortals need the arts to live, it seems trivial but it's true, everything is connected to some form of arts" he said turning back to her "More and more mortals are taking their own lives, even now as I am talking to you, my mind is still taking others to the doors of death"

Reyna's mind went dark for a moment, but she had to focus, the doors of death she thought to herself

"My Lord has anyone come out of the doors of death just before Euterpe was taken?" she asked

Thanatos sighed and nodded slowly "Indeed someone has escaped, a mortal from long ago, I was tricked by Hyacinth and he brought someone back through the doors, with all the death I had to deal with over the last few weeks my mind has been stretched so far and I am ashamed to say I was tricked by a lesser god"

"Hyacinth?" Reyna thought back "Lover of Apollo?"

"Yes he released a mortal, giving him the power to walk the earth again, normally I would retrieve them myself but I cannot reach them, if I do the world would be damaged by the amount of souls roaming the living world" he explained "Find Hyacinth and you may find the one you are looking for"

A shadow cast across the room and there was a rumble from beneath the earth, Thanatos closed his eyes for a moment "I must go now, I have been away from my post too long" he looked down at her "Remember Damien cannot know I have been here"

"But why?" she asked, but he was gone


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Reyna stood there motionless for a moment, Samson looked around wildly as he came out of his frozen state, unsure of how his Praetor was suddenly standing behind him.

"Praetor?" he looked back to her chair and then to where she was now standing, confusion plain to see on his rounded face

Reyna remained silent, her mind running with what just happened, with the words Thanatos/Letus had spoken to her and the information he had passed on, but mostly the last thing he had said before disappearing

Remember Damien cannot know I have been here

She didn't understand why he couldn't know or why he didn't show himself to his son, she could only guess that he was a culus and afraid to face the son he had abandoned

Samson cleared his throat "Praetor, is err… is everything okay?" he asked unsure of what was exactly going on

Reyna looked back at him "Of course" she said returning to her more regal self, she knew she could give nothing away "You have looked over the numbers yes?" she asked as if he was the one who had zoned out and everything was normal

Samson looked back at the screen, his confused eyes taking in the information, Reyna watched him hoping that he had just dismissed the strangeness as just a mind lapse or something like that. Luckily Samson seemed to interested in the figures Reyna had drawn up, he thought for a long moment, weighing his options

"And you are sure this is the only way for me to get the funds?" he asked turning back to face Reyna, who just simply nodded

"If you want the funds this is the sacrifice that you will have to make"

He thought for a long time, Reyna was itching to escape upstairs for a few moments, mainly to check on Damien but to also get him and Hazel together and talk through what she had learned but that would involve getting this meeting over and done with and at the rate Samson was reading they would be here till the next solstice.

She looked down at Samson who was still taking his sweet time in deciding whether or not to accept Reyna's deal. The Praetor resisted the urge to tap her foot

"I know it's a big decision so why don't you think it over, maybe discuss it with your colleagues" she said trying to keep the impatience from her voice "You can leave your answer with Rebecca, I have other things that need my attention today and I'm sure you are busy as well with the medical centre" she left nothing for interpretation and opened the door for him

As soon as he left she left her office and told Rebecca that she would be back as soon as she could and to find Hazel and let her know to meet her in her office in an hour. She rushed up the stairs, but paused when she her hand rested on the door handle, she had no plan of what to tell Damien, Letus had told her to stay silent about his appearance to her, she still didn't understand why. Should she tell him the truth? Or would it hurt him too much to learn that his father who left him to be tortured appeared to her without being summoned?

She took a deep breath in and released it opening up the door and stepping into her own room, at first she did not see the son of Letus and she was about to panic thinking that maybe he had gone again, But footsteps coming out the bathroom alerted her to his presence, he came into view and stopped in his tracks when he saw her, his hair was wet allowing droplets of water to fall onto his bare chest, Reyna watched a one as it trailed down his chest following the muscular contours of his stomach before disappearing at the waist of his fitted jeans.

She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, and found herself swallow deeply "Thamyris has been released from the Underworld" she said looking into his tired eyes, she wished she could help him with his nightmares

"How do you know this?" He asked suspicion in his voice

Reyna's mouth went dry, she thought quickly "Moneta visited me again and confirmed it" she lied instantly feeling hollow for lying to Damien about his own dad not wanting to see him, she looked into his eyes and her heart felt a little colder, she wanted to get out of here

Damien nodded slowly but his eyes held something back, he knew Reyna, he had seen the other side of her that not many others had seen before, a side she had kept hidden and he knew when she wasn't telling him the whole truth but he trusted her above anyone else.

"Okay what do we need to do now?" He asked

"We need to find Hyacinth, he was the one who released him" she turned to the door, reaching for the handle, turning away from Damien's golden brown eyes, not being able to lie to his face anymore "I need to find Hazel" she said wanting to get out of there as soon as she could, something pulled in the pit of her stomach, guilt, guilt over lying to Damien, but she only wanted to keep him safe.

When she was outside the door she walked down the corridor for a moment before leaning against the wall, she took a deep breath, her fingertips cold, she had deceived many people before, it was part of her job, but lying to Damien, it made her body go cold. She stood up straight backed and exhaled, she needed to be stronger, she was Praetor of Camp Jupiter she was strong, she was a leader, she needed to be that way to survive in this life, to protect her people.

She placed her Praetor mask back on and descended the stairs


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Damien waited alone in Reyna's room late into the evening, he started to wonder where the raven haired Praetor had gotten to, with the new information she had uncovered that Thamyris had indeed escaped from the Underworld and they needed to find Hyacinth, he thought that the three of them would've been in the process of making a plan, but here he was sitting alone. He couldn't even do any research himself because the only information they had kept up in Reyna's room was on Thamyris and it only stated that he had caught the eye of Apollo's former lover.

Damien began to pace the small room, he was getting agitated being locked away, he longed to be out on the roof again, but he had promised Reyna that he would not step foot out of the room. He could not relax, he was too afraid of falling asleep and giving his mind over to Elliot once more, he knew it was foolish, it was only a nightmare, he had faced monsters in the past and leapt from great heights without breaking a sweat. And now he was afraid to close his eyes

He dropped to the floor and started working out trying to keep his mind off everything, he pushed himself harder and harder, forcing his mind to focus on his burning muscles rather than the deep brown eyes that filled his mind and rejected him.

Then his mind wandered to last night when she took him up on the roof, when her fingers entwined with his, the rush of warmth that had flooded him, that made him think that he didn't need a heartbeat to feel things again.

He pushed himself up and stood looking around the room, he had tried not to snoop, it was Reyna's private room and by what Hazel had been saying, no one at camp was allowed in this room. This is where Reyna could be herself, Damien smiled to himself as he thought he was one of the few to have seen the softer side of the normally stoic faced Praetor.

But his smile dropped as he remembered the look on her face when he had left them in San Francisco

Salvum itineribus

"Safe travels" he muttered to himself, the last words she had said to her before he had walked away from her.

He sat at the desk silently wondering if he had just stayed with her, returned to Camp Jupiter would things have been different? He dropped his head into his hands, part of him wish he could turn back time to that night and do it all differently, but he knew that he needed to get the answers to his unanswered questions. He had hurt her and he felt like there was no coming back from that

The opening door had him on his feet in an instant, he turned to see the golden eyes of Hazel as she entered and closed the door softly behind her,

"Where's Reyna?" he asked hoping he would see her again

Hazel dropped her gaze slightly "She has to finish some work and asked me if I would bring you some food" Damien noticed the bag in her hand, which she placed on the table "What happened earlier?" she asked eyeing up the son of Letus

Confusion flashed over Damien's features "What do you mean?"

Hazel exhaled shortly and walked towards him "Reyna was fine this morning and now she is acting strange and a little distant" she jabbed a finger at his chest "And the only person she has seen in between is you, so I am gonna ask you again, what have you said to my friend?"

For a small girl she was definitely intimidating as she stood almost a foot shorter than him, her golden eyes glowing as she frowned up at him.

He raised his hands in surrender "I didn't do anything… I don't think so anyway" he thought back "She was acting a little strange before she came to tell me about Thamyris"

She squinted up at the taller demigod "How so?" she questioned him

"Well, she barely looked at me and then" he sighed sadly "It was like she couldn't get out of this room fast enough"

Hazel stared at him for a long time, trying to tell if he was telling the truth, she eventually nodded knowing that Damien was an honest guy and he would never do anything to intentionally hurt anyone, especially Reyna

"Okay, I just don't know what is wrong with her" Hazel said as she sat herself down on the bed

Damien came to sit beside the smaller woman "Is she angry at me for leaving?"

Hazel shrugged "I don't think she was angry, I just think she was hurt" she looked out across the room "She dived back into work, shut herself away in her office more than usual, I was the only one she really talked to and even then it wasn't about anything apart from the camp"

Damien closed and rubbed his tired eyes, taking a deep breath "I wish I could make it up to her somehow" he muttered sadly

Hazel looked over to him "Don't leave her again" she said simply but sincerely

Damien met her gaze "What if she doesn't want me here?" sadness in his voice "What if I'm too damaged?"

Hazel rolled her eyes "There is no such thing as too damaged Damien, everything has a way of working itself out if you are willing to try" she placed a hand on his arm "I have to go but eat up and try to be there for her even if she tries to push you away… that's if you are serious about making a life here Damien"

Damien nodded and watched the girl leave, he locked the door behind her and returned to sitting at the desk, he picked up another piece of paper, grabbing a pen he began to sketch. He abandoned the food and drew late into the night, those eyes that he had memorized long ago.

He didn't even notice when the sun was beginning to rise, Reyna had still not returned.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Reyna?"

The Praetor opened her eyes slowly

"Reyna?"

Reyna sat up at the sound of her name, her eyes adjusting and what she saw made her blood run cold, standing before her were the leaders of New Rome, all five of them stood before her in her office accompanied by a very nervous looking Rebecca and a stoic faced Frank

Reyna was on her feet in an instant, giving them the traditional Roman salute

"Augustus, Antonia, Caius" she greeted "Lucia, Gaius" she nodded to the other two

They all nodded back in greeting but none smiled and that made Reyna feel very uncomfortable, this was not a social call

"How can I be of service?" she said standing tall

Augustus stepped forward "May I?" he gestured to the chair in front of him

"Of course" she said and offered seats for the others, but they were a little younger than Augustus and decided to stand

"Reyna we have received concerns by some of the other campers" Augustus began, keeping eye contact with the young Praetor "They have said you have been acting out of character recently and we want to make sure that you are still fit to carry on your Praetorship" he said blandly

Reyna was stunned for a moment "Concerns?" she asked

Augustus nodded "Your absence has been noted from some compulsory events Praetor Reyna"

"Even over the past few days you have cancelled and pushed back important meetings with your fellow campers" spoke Lucia from behind "They have said that you have been locked away in your room, the head of the medical facility is worried that it is all getting too much for you"

Reyna resisted the urge to clench her fist "Samson has been in contact with you?"

Lucia nodded

Reyna kept her composure "I can assure you that I am well, I have…" she paused for a moment deciding she should tell them about Moneta "I have been visited by the Titaness Moneta and she has bestowed upon me a quest, I have been doing research on the matter"

"A quest from Moneta?" asked Augustus "Did she say why she approached you and not another?"

Reyna faltered for a moment, should she tell them about Damien or lie to her superiors in order to keep him safe, neither choice seemed appealing, so she decided to split the difference

"Last year when Lupa bought the boy with no memory, we went to retrieve his memory with the help of Moneta" she paused as the faces changed in front of her

"We remember, we still haven't discussed that yet Reyna, but continue" said Augustus, waving his hand for her to continue

She took a breath "She gave him his memories on the condition that when the time came, we would help her with whatever she needed"

"You gave an open ended promise to a titan!" exclaimed Caius

Reyna bit her toungue, Caius had been good friends with the ex-Praetor Octavian and had it out for Reyna ever since he had being killed of his own stupidity long ago

"I made no such deal and I tried to persuade Damien to do the same" she argued politely "But he was hell bent on getting answers and Moneta took that to mean that he had agreed for all of us, would you like to refuse a Titan Caius?" she gave him a pointed look

Caius stayed quiet but glared at her, Augustus brought her attention back to him

"So she came to you instead of this Damien boy who made her the promise to begin with?" asked Augustus calmly

Reyna thought quickly "She said he was in no fit state to accept the quest" she held their gaze wanting to show her strength

The older demigods thought for a moment before the oldest spoke "A quest have you determined who else would go with you or even where to begin?"

Reyna swallowed "I have some leads and as for quest members I would like to take Hazel Levesque, she is a strong Roman and a good ally to have your back, I trust her with my life"

"And a second?" asked Lucia "A quest is normally done with three"

"Or are you planning on breaking Roman tradition again?" quipped Caius rudely

"Another will be joining us" she snapped back

"Who?"

Reyna fell silent for just a moment, her brain working over time to think of an answer "A demigod who knows more about the situation than us, we would meet him along the way"

Caius scoffed "Sounds a little far-fetched to be honest Reyna"

Far-fetched?

Everyone jumped at the voice that echoed around them, a bright light appeared before them, Reyna drew her weapon but was disarmed instantly

"You think the kidnapping of my daughter far-fetched" the room trembled slightly as they were able to gaze upon the source of the voice

Moneta stood there looming over everyone, she was dressed in traditional roman attire, she glared down at Caius

"Lady Moneta" Augustus stumbled to his feet and bowed to her "M'lady please we did not mean to offend, we are just trying to get to the bottom of this"

"This girl" Moneta gestured to Reyna "Is on a quest for me to save my daughter and every second you spend interrogating her is another second one of the muses are missing and the world falls into decay" she raged

The room fell silent as they all stood there stunned at the titaness's sudden appearance and the gravity of her words

"Leave us" she commanded turning away from the leaders of New Rome, there was a moment when nobody moved, all stunned by what had just happened

Moneta glared at them as they got to their feet and shuffled out the door, once they had closed the door behind them, the titaness turned to Reyna

"I have done my part and located Hyacinth now do your part Daughter of Bellona" she touched the desk again where her golden map was etched, a new ink, silver this time "He is here"

Reyna stepped forward and looked down at where the silver ink had pooled

She exhaled "That's a long distance to cover m'lady"

"Then I suggest you leave immediately" she responded coldly "You cannot waste any more time here"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"The amazon?!" exclaimed Hazel as she stood in Reyna's bedroom next to an exhausted looking Damien.

"I know it's not ideal" Reyna started

"Not ideal?" cut in Hazel, her golden eyes wide "It is awesome" she beamed

Reyna was taken aback by her excited response "Errr, right okay" was all she could think to say

"I still like the part when Moneta bursts in and puts all those old guys in their place" smirked Damien lazily, Reyna flashed him a look and he dropped his gaze, trying to hide his smile "Sorry"

Reyna kept her face straight, she had to get them focused, the visit from the New Rome leaders had been another reminder that she had to be careful and that she was being watched by those around her and there was still those who wanted her to be removed from her Praetor position.

She straightened her shoulders "We need to leave as soon as possible, I have already booked a flight for this evening"

Hazel looked at her friend curiously for a moment, wondering when this change had happened to her and most of all why

"Reyna might I have a word in private?" she asked seriously

Reyna turned from where she was at the window "Can it wait we have to leave as soon as possible and you need to speak to your cohort before then, plus we need to find a way to get Damien out of camp without anyone noticing" her eyes scanned across the view of camp outside of her window

"You didn't tell them Damien was here?" Hazel asked in a hushed whisper

Reyna shook her head "We were too far down the rabbit hole as it was I couldn't tell them about him being here"

Damien looked between the two women, he didn't understand why this was such a big deal but he saw how it affected Reyna and he would do his best to help her

"Maybe Frank can help" interjected Hazel

"No" Reyna said looking across the room to the shorter demigod "If this goes wrong I don't want Frank being a part of this, it's bad enough I dragged you into it"

"Who says I was dragged" Hazel flashed her a quick smile

Reyna smiled weakly back "I will think of something, meet us by the entrance as soon as you can"

Hazel's smiled dropped when Reyna went back to business, she nodded slowly and smiled at Damien before leaving, closing the door softly behind her.

Damien turned, he watched Reyna as she faced out of the window, he wanted to ask what was wrong but he felt as though he already knew what her response was going to be, so instead he walked up behind her and followed her gaze out of the window and down to the ground where a few of the other demigods bustled around.

He then looked towards the roofs of the neighbouring buildings, he judged the distance and the cover that they provided, he glanced down at Reyna's face, she was deep in thought and a small crease was visible between her eyebrows. If she wasn't going to let Frank and Hazel take the fall then he wasn't going to let her

"You go, I will meet you there" he said softly

"What?" Reyna turned to him

Damien smiled down at her "Trust me" he couldn't help but gaze into her deep brown eyes, the eyes that betrayed her and showed her true feelings

"Trust is a dangerous thing Damien" she whispered, gazing up into his eyes "I can't let myself trust"

Damien's smile faltered "Then believe in me" he said "Believe I can get across the camp without being seen" he resisted the urge to take her hand, not wanting to crowd her.

Slowly she nodded, she turned grabbing her gear, she paused by the door "Damien please don't get caught" she dropped her gaze and left the room

Damien watched the door for a moment longer before returning to his vantage point out of the window, his eyes scanned the surrounding area of the building, there were not too many people around at the moment and all those who were didn't seem to be looking up at the building, why would they? None knew that he was here, this would probably be his best opportunity

His eyes kept scanning as he slowly opened the window, but still no one looked up, he needed to be fast especially seen as it was broad daylight, he waited a moment longer before taking a deep breath and swung out of the window, he leapt up grabbing the roof ledge, he hauled himself up with ease rolling onto the roof and lying flat on his back.

He paused keeping himself hidden, he inhaled deeply and counted to 120. He crawled over to the ledge and peered over carefully, nobody was staring at the building so he took that as a good sign. Now he was up here he knew what route to take as he looked out across the rooftops, he knew he needed to keep up a certain amount of speed to make the jumps, he would have to bolt for it and pray nobody would see him.

He stood and made his way to the centre of the roof, he stretched his muscles out and pulled up his hood, not that it would hide him that much but maybe conceal his identity if he was spotted. He closed his eyes and focused for a moment before dashing towards the edge, he pushed his legs as fast as they would go and he leapt, he soared through the air heading straight for the next roof, he bent his knees just at the right moment and rolled onto the next roof. He didn't slow as he continued on his way, faster and faster he ran until he was on the final building where he skidded to a stop a figure standing in front of him with their back to him.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Reyna paced in front of the entrance nervously, she hated waiting at the best of times but now waiting to see is Damien would appear the other side of the river or if she would get summoned to New Rome for her dismissal. She wrung her hands as she waited, Hazel watching her pace, she too was a little nervous about her friend's safety, they didn't know his plans or how he was going to get out of camp without being seen, they didn't know when to expect him.

Reyna checked her watch again "This is taking too long" she said abruptly "I have to go find him"

Hazel's eyes scanned the horizon "Reyna" she said

But Reyna was already grabbing her bag about to set off before a small hand grabbed her arm, she whirled around and looked down at the smaller woman, but her golden eyes were watching something in the distance. Reyna's heart stopped as she turned fearing the worse, but as she found the focus of Hazel's gaze her breathing returned to normal, because there he was wading through the water looking as tired as ever.

As he trudged his way up to them it looked like he wanted to collapse

"Hey" he said breathlessly

Reyna wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him but she held herself back and simply nodded, turning away so they could not see her face

"We need to keep moving" she said as she set off into the cave

Damien and Hazel shared a look, the daughter of Pluto seeing the pain in the man's eyes, neither truly understood why Reyna had changed so drastically in the past couple of days. They did not know about New Rome watching her every move, or the people at camp feeding them information to remove her from Praetorship

So Reyna carried the burden alone, it weighed on her shoulders as she walked through the caves, they made it to the mortal world in less than a few minutes, from there they hailed a cab to take them to San Francisco International Airport.

Hazel found herself in the middle of the two of them again, in a silent cab journey, Damien stared out of his window as Reyna's eyes watched ahead, Hazel was really starting to hate the awkward silences. She really wished she had Frank with her, even though he would have stayed as awkward and quiet as these two, at least he would be there with her. She hadn't been able to see him much over the recent das and she hadn't even been able to tell him why, all she could say was for him to trust her and he did with all his heart, he knew that whatever was going on it was very important and Hazel needed to be there for Reyna.

Hazel closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat trying to relax as they made their way into the city, but before long the honking of horns forced her eyes opened, she looked out of the front window to see multiple cars heading towards the main terminal drop off point. Hazel thanked the gods that they didn't have these cars in New Rome, she would hate to have to try and drive one of these confounded machines.

The three scrambled out of the cab as he stopped in a zone you were clearly not supposed to stop, other cars honked and drivers swore, but the cab driver just accepted his fair and pulled out into the mayhem.

"I will never get used to that" muttered Reyna as she turned to start walking into the terminal, it was so busy there and instantly they were in a sea of mortals

Damien and Hazel followed Reyna's lead as they weaved their way through the people, she seemed to know where she was going

"How much has she been here?" Damien asked Hazel quietly

"Oh she hasn't" smirked the shorter woman "She's just got a good sense of direction"

Damien looked back to Reyna as she powered through the airport "Girl of many talents" he smiled to himself, checking her out, instantly stopping once she turned back to them, he silently prayed he didn't get caught staring at her.

"We're over here" she said gesturing to the gate

"Manaus?" Damien asked, not knowing the name

"It's the closest city in Brazil with an airport to where we need to go" She replied, going into her bag and pulling out three tickets "It was last minute so I couldn't get all of us sat together, so do you two wanna take the seats next to one another"

"No, it's okay" Hazel cut in "You should sit with him, keep him out of trouble"

"Hey" He argued back softly "what kind of trouble do you think I can possibly get myself into on a plane"

"I dread to think" winked Hazel "Plus Reyna you have that fear of-

"Hazel" she snapped "I am perfectly capable"

Damien looked between the two girls for a moment "Okay… well shall we" he held his hand out like a gentleman signalling that the girls should go first, as Hazel passed she flashed him a quick smile and he winked back at her.

They queued up and waited patiently as the women at the gate checked everyone's tickets and allowed them through, the blonde there took a very long time checking Damien's ticket while also allowing her eyes to wander up and down is body, Damien just nodded kindly and followed the raven haired Praetor to their seats.

She insisted on taking the aisle seat, so Damien sat next to the window, he had never been on a plane before and he worried slightly when the engines roared to life, something clamped down on his hand, looking down he saw Reyna's hand clasping his tightly on the arm rest. He glanced up at her to see her jaw clenched tightly, eyes fixed on the back of the seat ahead, she was taking deep breaths.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Reyna had settled down after the initial take off and now she tried to relax in her seat, they had a long flight ahead of them, Reyna's eyes watched the others on the plane, she was always taught to be vigilant, even though there weren't many monsters that would take a flight, she needed to be sure they were safe. She craned her neck back and caught Hazel eye, the younger demigod was wearing large headphones and a kind smile on her face, Reyna nodded to her and returned her eyes to the screen in the back of the seat in front of her, some sort of mortal movie playing.

As with many of the mortals films there was a handsome male hero who was saving the damsel in distress, Reyna rolled her eyes, she hated the way women were represented in this culture, always waiting around for a man to save them. In Camp Jupiter no matter whether you were male or female you were raised to be strong, to be a warrior

She glanced over to Damien, his eyes were closed and his breathing slow, his poorly cut scruffy hair in his eyes, slowly she reached over and brushed his hair back but as she did she saw the crease between his brows, the slight sweat on his forehead

"Damien" she whispered softly, knowing that look was another nightmare, she placed a hand on his arm and shook him gently, but he did not wake

His breathing became faster and his muscles tensed, hands tightening around the armrests, Reyna glanced around nervously but luckily nobody had noticed yet, but if she didn't wake him soon then they would definitely draw attention to themselves.

"Damien" she whispered again "Damien it's me Reyna, wake up"

But still he was engulfed in the nightmare and it looked like it was getting worse, his breathing becoming ragged

"I'm right here" she said grasping his hand in hers "Please wake up… It's not real"

Damien made small noises and jerked suddenly as though he was trying to get away from something within his own mind, she raised her hand and rested it on the side of his face trying to keep him still

"Damien listen to my voice, believe in my words" she stroked the hair from his face "Elliot is torturing your mind, don't let him, be here with me now Damien"

But it was no use he was still in a deep sleeping nightmare, she risked a glance back to Hazel but the shorter woman was now also asleep as were most of the other passengers, she racked her brain as she tried to come up with a plan before his shuddering drew the attention of anyone else

"Damien open your eyes and look at me… please" she hesitated before digging her nails into the soft skin of his neck, she watched as his face contorted in pain but he still didn't wake, taking a deep breath she tightened her grip and felt something warm on the tips of her fingers

Suddenly Damien gasped awake and tried to stand, Reyna grabbed him back down, seeing the wild look in his eyes, his hand lashed out and grabbed the collar of her jacket

"Damien stop" she hushed as she once again grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her. He tried to pull away but she held him in place

"It's me… it's Reyna"

Damien settled slightly, but he kept a firm grip on her lapel, his breathing hard, she could see it in his eyes that he was trying to figure out if this was real or not, she held onto him tightly afraid he would do something.

"Is this real?" he asked slowly

"Whatever answer I give you wouldn't believe" she let out a sigh

Damien held her gaze but nodded slowly, he released her jacket but stayed where he was inhaling deeply, he could feel her hands on his face, he could feel a pain in his neck. He reached up his fingertips trailing the sore spot on his skin where Reyna's own hands were, when he pulled is hand back to look at, red liquid stained his skin

"I'm sorry Damien" there was a crack in Reyna's voice as she spoke "I… I didn't know what else to do" she dropped her hands and gaze

Damien took a breath, he stood, excusing himself as he made his way to one of the bathrooms. A stewardess, young and blonde, asked if he was okay, she gave him a sweet smile, her eyes landing on the blood on his neck

"Sir…" she stuttered "Are you okay?"

Damien flashed her a cheeky smile, attempting to change the subject

"Yer" he replied hoping to charm her into not telling anyone "My girlfriend likes to get a little rough… If you know what I mean" He winked at her, receiving a seductive smile from the blonde

He excused himself into the bathroom and instantly dropped his façade, he took a deep breath in, he needed to make sure he was in the real world, he needed to feel something real, his eyes scoured the small bathroom until his eyes landed on a screw that was partially poking out of the side, it looked rough and dirty but he didn't care, this was the only way he could be certain

"Damien I know what you are going to do" came a quiet voice from the opposite side of the door "Please don't do this" she begged softly

"I have to know this is real" he replied leaning against the door

"Damien" her voice carried such sadness "Please open the door, this is real… I'm real and I'm here"

There was another long pause

"Believe in me Damien"

Reyna waited for what seemed like an eternity before she heard the door click and it slid open to reveal Damien standing there leaning against the frame, he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to find the truth, but all he saw was her and her beauty and strength.

He couldn't deny what he had been feeling for a long time now

"Reyna I-

"Excuse me"

Reyna jumped away from him and both turned to see the stewardess standing there with her hands across her chest with a disapproving look on her face

"You and your girlfriend will have to use separate bathrooms or return to your seats" she gave Damien a pointed look


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Damien gulped down about 5 espressos in a row to keep himself awake, his hands shook slightly with the caffeine overload

"You're going to crash so hard" Hazel plopped herself down beside him in Reyna's empty seat

"Just need to stay awake" he said slapping the side of his face

Hazel sighed "You can't stay awake forever Damien, your body can't take it and you will make mistakes because of it"

"I can't sleep" he said forcibly "I just can't"

"Fine" replied the daughter of Pluto "But just make sure your mistakes don't cost Reyna"

Damien met the intense stare of the golden eyes, he glanced up to see Reyna coming out of the bathroom, she looked up finding him watching her, her dark eyes flickering to Hazel

Damien swallowed nervously and nodded to Hazel "I know, just not on this plane… it's too dangerous"

"Everything okay?" Reyna asked coming to a stop by the seats looking between the two

"Yep" Hazel said standing "I should return to my seat, we are gonna be landing soon"

Reyna nodded and retook her seat beside Damien "How are you feeling?" she asked

Damien attempted a smile "Fine… just tired" he watched as she fiddles with her nails "I'm sorry Reyna"

"For what?" she asked, not looking up at him

"For grabbing you like I did, I, er I…" he stammered

"It's okay" she interjected finally looking up at him "I get that you don't know what is real or what isn't and it confuses you"

Damien looked at her in awe, he didn't think that anyone would understand what he went through when Elliot toyed with his mind, digging out his deepest fears and making him play through them like some sick theatre play, but Reyna seemed to get it, get that he didn't know what was real.

"Don't blame yourself Damien, I'm just glad you didn't have the same reaction as that first day you were brought back to Camp Jupiter" she said softly

"Yer, I'm sorry about that too" his hand absentmindedly rubbed his leg where he had stabbed himself with the scissors

Reyna's eyes followed his movement, also remembering what he had done to figure out what was real that day

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly

"What?" he asked coming out of his own mind

Reyna gestured to his leg, he looked down and removed his hand not even realising that he had been touching his minor stab wound

"Nah" he said giving her a small smile "I'm kinda used to pain by now"

It was a poor joke and he instantly regretted it and felt even guiltier when he saw the look on Reyna's face. He was about to speak when the captain came over the speaker

Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts we are beginning out descent into Manaus

Then the plane rumbled with turbulence and once again Reyna's hands grasped the armrests, Damien placed his hand over hers trying to comfort her, instantly she turned her hand and entwined their fingers, squeezing his hand tightly. She really didn't like planes and her grip only tightened when they went through some more turbulence.

Damien didn't say anything for fear of ruining the moment they were sharing, instead he just stayed silent and held her hand

Sorry folks there is a storm heading in over Manaus and we are going to be experiencing some more turbulence as we land

"Great" growled Reyna, her breathing becoming heavier as she tried to remain calm

"Hey" Damien whispered, making her meet his gaze "What do you want to do when you're older?"

"What?" she said not understanding what he was trying to do

Damien smiled at her "You're not going to be Praetor forever, what do you want to do with your life, move to New Rome and become a leader or venture out?"

"Errm, I… I don't know" she glanced back to the aisle of the plane, feeling the turbulence "Never really thought about it"

"Think about it now what do you want to do?" he pushed, trying to take her mind of the flight

Her soft dark eyes finding his golden brown "I don't know… maybe travel for a bit, I've spent pretty much all my life in Camp Jupiter"

"Where would you go first?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips

"I've always admired Europe's history, maybe go travelling around there" she thought as she gazed into Damien's eyes

"Backpacking?" he suggested

"Yer" she gave a small smile as she imagined the idea "Certainly be an adventure"

"Would you go alone?" he asked, instantly clamping his mouth shut for such a foolish question and he could see the hesitation in her eyes, her smile fading slightly

"Who would go with me?" she asked an eyebrow rising slightly "I don't have many friends"

Damien leaned in closer "Oh I'm sure you could find someone"

He watched as a large grin began to spread across her beautiful regal features, he mirrored her expression

"I hear France is beautiful" Damien said his voice slightly husky

"The Eiffel Tower" replied Reyna

They didn't realise that their foreheads were touching until a guy bumped into Reyna's arm

"Sorry Miss" he apologized as he got his bag from the overhead storage

It was then Damien realised they had landed and everyone was getting their bags and exiting the plane, Reyna straightened instantly and he could see her cheeks growing redder, she glanced nervously back at Damien

"Shall we?" he asked

"Yes" she said standing and making her way out down the aisle and off the plane, closely followed by Damien and Hazel

They made their way through the foreign airport, Reyna directed them with ease, Damien had no idea what the signs said but he followed the raven haired Praetor as she took turns and found their way out of the airport where she looked around

"Wait here" she commanded as she approached a young man at the car rental desk

Damien watched as the young man smiled at her flirtatiously, a little jealously bubbling inside of him

"What's she doing?" he asked keeping his eyes on the two of them, watching as the guy leaned in closer to her

"Damien relax" Hazel said rolling her eyes "Reyna is probably just asking him for directions"

"She speaks Spanish?" he asked

"She was brought up in San Juan" Hazel replied

Damien was starting wondering if this woman could get any more amazing, a smile on his face as she walked back to them

"We take this road to a small town where we can stay the night from the storm" she said, she caught a glance of Damien's smile, a grin tugging at her lips.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Damien barely made it into the motel room before he crashed onto the floor, his eyes closing as the lack of sleep was too overwhelming, blackness surrounded him, but as his dreams shifted he knew there was going to be no peaceful rest

He saw the man materialise before him, he was skinny and pale, he wore large glasses, behind which were tired looking dull eyes, it was clear to see that his sister got all the looks between them, she also got all the morals and compassion, unlike Elliot

"Hello again Damien" he sneered "Decided to get some rest?"

Damien stayed quiet, he had figured out long ago that it was useless to try and fight back or even to try and reason with him, Elliot was hell-bent on destroying Damien for taking his sister away from his family and allowing her to die

"What shall we do today Damien?" He smiled cruelly at Damien, he closed his eyes "I see that we still have strong feelings for this Reyna girl… is that why you let my sister die? So you could be with this Roman whore?"

Damien felt his hands shaking, his anger bubbling within him as Elliot spoke of Reyna in that way

"Did you kill Elena so that you could run off and be with this scum Damien?"

"I loved her" Damien snapped back

Elliot let out a cold laugh "If you loved her you would have protected her, never taken her away of the safety of her home, her family" he stepped closer to Damien "You murdered her, just so you could get in the pants of some quisquilian"

Damien roared to life and lunged for Elliot, not caring it was a dream control by him, Before he could reach the scrawny rat he was thrown back and an invisible weight pushed down on his keeping him perfectly still, he saw Elliot come to stand over him

"Shall we begin?" he said menacingly through gritted teeth

Damien's mind went blank and then a land formed in front of him, he recognised it instantly, Camp Jupiter.

"It's just a dream… it's just a dream" he chanted in his mind, he had to keep his thoughts real

"Damien?" a hand came to rest on his shoulder, turning him around slowly

"No" the word fell from his lips as he heard the voice and saw her face, Elena in all her beauty was standing before him, a smile on her lips, her hair cascading over her shoulders, she reached out and caressed his face softly

"Did you miss me?" she asked sweetly, her eyes soaking up the sun

"Not real… Not real" he repeated over and over

"Damien" she said sweetly "Of course this isn't real" she smiled up at him and brought his lips down to hers, her lips were just as he remembered, the way her arms wrapped around his neck

She pulled back slightly "I've missed you agápi mou"

Damien watched her wishing that this was somehow real, but he had to remember that it wasn't, he couldn't get lost in this fantasy

Elena suddenly went ridged, her eyes going dull, her mouth agape

"Elena?" Damien asked

She fell away from him, revealing someone behind her, no… not just anyone

"Reyna" Damien looked down at the Praetor's hands, her silver dagger in her hand, covered in blood

His eyes dropped to Elena's body on the ground, blood seeping from a wound on her back, a wound made from Reyna's dagger

"Now we can be together" she said

Damien looked back up at Reyna's cold eyes, an equally cold smile across her lips

"This isn't real" Damien said, his hands balling into fists "It's a dream"

He began to hit the sides of his head, trying to wake himself from this nightmare

"You're not real" he hit his head harder and harder trying to drum this image from his mind

"Damien"

He kept hitting and hitting, keeping his eyes squeezed shut

"Damien wake up"

He could feel hands on his arms

"WAKE UP!"

He opened his eyes and was staring up into Reyna's eyes, he was on his back, he looked around wildly, he was in the motel room

"Damien… look at me"

Damien stared up into Reyna's warm dark eyes,

"Reyna?" he asked

"Breathe Damien" she said softly "Just breathe"

"Am I awake?" he asked

"You know I can't answer that for you" she said, a hand stroking his hair out of his eyes "You wouldn't believe me whatever my answer"

Damien sat up slowly, not taking his eyes from Reyna's face, he reached up and caressed her cheek, allowing his thumb to stroke her cheek

"Are you okay?" she whispered, swallowing slowly

Damien shook his head, he moved his other hand up to her neck, his finger curling around her throat

"Damien?"

His other hand dropped from her face to her neck so now both squeezed around her slim throat, she tried to speak but nothing came out, tighter and tighter. Her fingers scraped against his arms, trying to pry away his grip, she clawed at his face as her face grew purple, her mouth trying to gasp for air but Damien's hands didn't allow it. He watched as her eyes started to roll back into her head, her arms growing weaker, Damien just stared at her as the life drained from her eyes. Her body went limp and he finally released her, looking down at her dead body, just lying there on the floor

Damien stood and looked around the motel room, it was night and the room was dark, He didn't see Hazel at first, but something hitting the floor caught his attention, the daughter of Pluto stood in the doorway looking between Reyna's body and Damien

"What did you do?" she asked

Damien saw her hand slowly going for her weapon, Damien lunged for her and shoved her against the wall before she could draw her sword, he heard her gasp in pain as he reached forward and with his strong hands snapped her neck, she too fell to the floor, her eyes still open


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Damien gasped awake as thunder shook the room, he scrambled backwards until his back hit the wall, his eyes searched the room frantically, the floor was deserted and the door still locked. He breathed a sigh of release when his eyes found Reyna and Hazel on the double bed, both still sleeping peacefully.

He stood slowly, but his legs were weak, his hands gripped the small table for balance, he took in deep breaths, tears stung his eyes as he felt a tightening in his chest. Carefully he moved so he could see Reyna's face as she slept, he needed to be sure she was okay, her skin was smooth, unhindered by the worry lines she normally bore. He revelled in her beauty for a moment, before flashes of his nightmare forced him to look away, he stood and made his way quietly to the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

He braced himself against the sink, inhaling deeply and breathing out slowly, he kept seeing it over and over again, his hands around her neck, watching as the life drained from her eyes, not caring that he had done so. He had even attacked Hazel, someone who had never been in his tortuous dreams before, Elliot was beginning to get smarter with the scenes he created in is twisted mind, making Damien believe he was waking and rip his world away. He looked up into his own reflection, how could he be sure that this was real? He had been tricked before, he could not allow this to happen.

He began to search the bathroom for anything he could use, but the room was empty, he needed to know now. He went back out into the bedroom area and looked at the bed, both girls still sleeping unaware of his crisis of the mind, he scrawled down a note on a piece of paper and left it by Reyna before leaving the room.

He stumbled down the hallway and down the stairs, the storm still raging outside, it must have been late because there was no one else around, luckily the motel was only small and he easily found the lobby, the guy behind the desk fast asleep. Damien made his way closer and looked behind the desk, his eyes finding the stationary pot and inside was a pair of scissors, he paused for a moment before reaching for them and backing away

He stood there for a moment with the blade in his hand, he remembered what Reyna had said, the way she looked when she knew he had hurt himself just to know if he was awake or dreaming, he stared at his reflection in the blade, he dropped it and it clattered to the floor, he squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched his fingers in his hair, he dug his nails into his scalp trying to ground himself.

He did not hear the footsteps approach or feel it when someone sat beside him, only when arms slid around his neck and pulled him close. He jerked away at first then he saw Reyna's eyes filled with sorrow, he wanted to pull away to keep her safe, but feeling her arms around him he found he couldn't move away from her, instead he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"Thank you" she whispered

A lump formed in Damien's throat, he made a habit not to show weakness, even when he was being tortured by Elliot and his cronies, but hearing Reyna's voice like that and feeling her warmth around him when he needed it most broke him more than anything else he had experienced.

"I don't know what's real Reyna" he admitted, taking deep breaths through gritted teeth

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again "Take my hand Damien" she offered it to him

He took it without hesitation and their fingers entwined, his eyes flickered up to Reyna's face, her eyes were closed and concentration covered her face. Damien looked confusingly at her until he felt it, it was small at first barely noticeable but it grew stronger and stronger. He felt his body growing stronger and mind becoming clearer, he felt refreshed, something he had not felt in months.

Reyna gasped suddenly, her hands trembling, eyes widening to look at him

"Reyna?" Damien grasped her hand tighter, the other going to her cheek "Reyna are you okay?"

"I didn't know… I thought I might but…" she rambled her eyes meeting his, tears stained her cheeks "I'm so sorry"

Damien wiped them away "What do you mean?"

"Qué estás hacienda"

The voice startled them, both whirling around to see the sleepy guy behind the desk now awake and coming towards them not looking too happy

"Nada señor, me caí y mi amigo me está ayudando a volver a la habitación" Reyna said back "Help me up" she whispered to Damien

He complied instantly as the man kept spilling out Spanish and waving his hands, Reyna snapped back, Damien had no idea what was being said but he got from the volume that it was now an argument.

He walked with Reyna to the stairs and up, leaving the yelling man behind

"We have over stayed our welcome" She said as they made their way back to the room "Babuino sudoroso" she added under her breath, making Damien believe it was some sort of insult to the man

"Y'know" he started "You're gonna have to teach me Spanish" he grinned at her

She returned the smile "Maybe one day, but for now we have to leave before he calls the police"

Damien frowned "What does he think we did?" he asked

Reyna shook her head "They don't like gringos much down here"

"Well I don't care for him much either" Damien's smile broadened

Even though she smiled she seemed weaker, more tired, dark rings forming around her eyes, leaning on Damien a lot more than he expected

"Hey" he said stopping them in their tracks in the hallway "What happened? What did you do?"

Reyna caressed his cheek, though she dropped her hand quickly, realising what she was doing "We don't have time for it now, but I will explain everything if we survive Danny Trejo down there"

She was trying to dodge the question but Damien was worried about her as she swayed slightly in his grip

"Reyna.." he began but was cut off by more Spanish being yelled up at them

"We have to go now" she turned and opened the door to the room, waking Hazel up as she did "We're leaving"

Hazel sat up and moved her wild hair from her face, her golden eyes finding Damien

"What did you do now?"

"Me?" Damien thought for a moment "Yer, you're right, get up" he grabbed his rucksack and took Reyna's from her, she look like she was going argue but then gave up as she realised he was right, she leant on Hazel, the younger girl seeming to understand instantly what was going on with her.

They were met with more shouting as they passed the man to get to the exit, he seemed to be directing it at Reyna seeming to know that she was the only one who could understand her, he tried to grab her wrist, Hazel grabbed it and twisted it so the man buckled to his knees, he looked shocked at the tiny girl

The man fell silent and backed away holding his wrist, it didn't to be badly damaged, just enough to shock him. Damien grinned to Hazel who winked back.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The trio braved their way through the tropical storm, all soaked to their skin and feeling pretty miserable, but still they followed the raven haired praetor as she led them down streets and along roads, she seemed to have regained more of her strength, which Damien was thankful for.

They must have been walking for almost an hour in the downpour when they reached a set of rusty metallic gates with a sign that was in Spanish, Damien didn't need to read Spanish to know that it was a no entry sign, the sign with a skull on it was enough.

"We're here" Reyna called over the howling winds, she looked up at the high locked gates, the chain was thick and she soon realised it was made from celestial bronze

"This is definitely the place" she confirmed "We can't break the lock though" wiping the rainwater from her eyes

Damien too stood back and inspected the gate, his eyes squinting past the rain, his mind making the necessary calculations, he then returned and placed his back against the wrought iron gate and faced the two girls, who were both watching him curiously

"Who's first?" he asked as he interlocked his fingers in front of his body making a foothold for the girls

"You serious?" asked Reyna looking from Damien to the gate

"You got a better idea?" called Hazel over the distant thunder, she walked over to Damien and placed her foot into his hands

"One… Two… Three" on three Damien pushed up as Hazel jumped and she soared into the air, her hands latching onto the top of the metal gate, Damien watched her just in case she slipped, but the daughter of Pluto swung over the top and dropped down to the other side with a small thud. She nodded to the others and waited patiently, Damien turned back to Reyna who looked a little nervous

"You good?" he asked

"Of course" but her eyes said differently, she moved towards him and took up the same position as Hazel had, placing her hands on his shoulders, feeling the muscle under his soaked top, she took a deep breath

"Big jump" Damien smiled at her

"Wait" she said meeting his gaze "How are you gonna get up?"

Damien's smile grew "Do you not know me at all?" his eyes bright and alert

Reyna rolled her eyes "Yer right, you run up buildings" she exhaled with a slight smile,

He gave her a wink and counted to three, lifting her high. He turned to make sure she had safely made it, but when he looked up he caught sight of her in those tight skinny jeans, he couldn't help but smile then immediately he saw Hazel shaking her head, knowing exactly what Damien was smiling at, Damien shrugged playfully at her and scolded himself but still continued to grin, he was only a man after all.

Reyna dropped down next to Hazel and looked to Damien "You got this?" she asked eyeing up the soaked metal gate.

"Of course" he said but he concentrated all the same, now was not the time for showing off, if he slipped it could be dangerous, he'd faced worst

He took a couple of steps back and took a breath, his mind working out the height and handholds he could grab, he began his run up being careful not to slip on the slushy mud, placing one foot on the iron bar he propelled himself upwards and grasped the upper bars tightly, they were rusted and horrible to touch.

He found a placement for his other foot and used his arms to pull himself up higher, he reached and grabbed the top of the gate and with another push of his legs he vaulted over the top and dropped down, right into a puddle and spraying the two girls with dirty water… they were not impressed by that at all, but neither said anything instead they turned and faced the dense trees before them, Hazel making a show of wiping water streaks from her face

Damien mouthed the word sorry and followed their gaze to the treeline, not being able to see much beyond that

"Don't suppose either of you two brought a flashlight?"

As he said it both girls produced small lights and switched them on illuminating the dark

"Just me then" Damien nodded feeling a little foolish, Reyna pulled a third from her small bag and handed it to the son of Letus, she attempted to hide her smile

"Thanks" Damien said sheepishly, he read the side, 'Roman candle 2017'

"A roman needs to be prepared for anything" she said matter of factly

Damien smiled sweetly back at her and followed the two girls into the trees, Damien thanked the gods that Reyna had a spare flashlight because it was so dark in this jungle and even with a flashlight he found himself still almost walking into trees and stumbling over large roots.

They continued their way carefully through the trees for what seemed like hours, it didn't help that it was so humid out here, not the baking heat of California but dense air, like it was smothering you, it was hard to take deep breaths with air like this

"How do we know we are going the right way?" Damien asked wiping sweat from his brow "All looks the same to me"

Reyna paused for a moment taking a drink of water and offering it to Hazel, she looked down at her feet "We follow the flowers" she said simply

Damien followed her gaze noticing for the first time that there was a trail of purple flowers along the jungle floor, they looked a little out of place in the dark jungle floor, just surrounded by hues of brown and green

"Hyacinthus, that's the flower Apollo made the hero Hyacinth into when he died" Hazel explained as they continued their journey

"Wait?" Damien paused for a moment, his mind registering her words "He's dead? Who the hell are we going to see?"

"Hyacinth" Reyna replied

"But he's dead?" his brows knitted together

Damien was getting confused so Reyna took pity on him continued explaining

"When he died Apollo did not let Pluto or… Letus" she hesitated on his father's name, but his expression didn't change "They didn't let them take him to the Underworld, instead he lived through people loving his plants and praising him as if he were a god, according to research he doesn't really have a bodily form more of just a presence, though no roman has ever met him, he is more of a Greek being"

"Right" Damien said drawing out the word "I'm gonna pretend I get that and just follow your lead"

He saw the small smile cross her face as she looked back at him "Nothing new there then" she teased

"Oh Miss Ramirez-Arellano you flatter me" he teased back giving her his signature smile

She was so enthralled with that smile she wasn't looking where she was going or the fact that there was a cliff edge in front of her

"Reyna!" Hazel called seeing the fatal error her friend had made

But Reyna didn't turn in time and she lost her footing, she felt her body begin to tumble, she dropped the flashlight and reached out looking for something to grab onto, she heard Damien call her name. Felt a strong grip wrap around her arm, but still she continued to fall, she could see a large mass falling with her, something wrapped around her waist and holding her close. Then her body impacted on top of the mass and she heard a low groan

"Damien?" she said but they had both lost their flashlights and it was pitch black in the ditch


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Damien had watched as Reyna began to fall away from him, he heard Hazel calling out her name, he lunged forwards and grasped her arm tightly, but her falling body pulled him closer to the edge and he had lost his footing, the dirt crumbling under his feet,

But he had held onto her, he was not letting her go. As they fell, he tried to see anything but it was so dark and he and Reyna had both dropped their flashlights in the fall, their light sending quick flashes on what little surrounded them

So he did the only thing he could, he pulled Reyna close and wrapped his arms around her, trying to protect her, he knew that the best way to fall is to keep your limbs close to your body protecting your head, so that's what he did, he protected Reyna, cradling her to his chest.

He kept himself braced for impact knowing that it was going to hurt like hell or worse, but if he could at least save Reyna then that would be enough for him.

The impact was worse than he had imagined, pain flared through his body and his limbs fell away from Reyna, but he was still awake which he couldn't decide whether that was lucky or not, he was glad to be alive but the pain that was surging through his body made him almost wish he was dead.

"Damien?"

He heard her voice barely, but he couldn't answer, he couldn't even move, all he could feel was pain, blood rushing through his ears

"Oh Gods Damien is that you?" she asked, panic in her normally calm voice

He attempted to take a deep breath, pain exploding in his chest, all he could manage was a wheezed moan, he wasn't even sure if it was audible

"Damien, talk to me" she said trying to remain calm "Please" she begged

Damien wanted to respond, he willed his voice to work but nothing came out, he needed to know that she was safe, that she had made it down okay

"Can you squeeze my hand?" she asked taking deep breaths

He felt a pressure wrap around his hand but he couldn't move, he couldn't hold her, anger began to flood him as he tried desperately to clasp her hand, his breathing became more rapid

"Damien calm down" she said hearing his breaths "It's going to be okay… I'm going to make this okay, just be still" she vowed

He felt her hands move from his hands and for a moment he was filled with fear, fear that she had left him alone in the dark, but then he could feel her hands spread across his chest, there was such pain in his chest that he could feel tears streak his face

"Mother, Bellona give me the strength I need" she whispered "Allow your power to pass through me"

Warmth began to spread through his body, starting at his chest and slowly making it's way down his limbs and towards his fingers and toes, like it had back at the motel and instantly he knew what she was trying to do and it had taken such a toll on her last time, he tried to tell her to stop, but his voice still didn't work.

Suddenly there was a glow coming from somewhere and Damien craned his head to see that the tattoo that Reyna had on her forearm glowed gold, illuminating her features slightly, he couldn't help but be in awe of her. Her beauty wasn't just her looks but her soul as well, she was such a kind and warm person, Damien couldn't understand why she kept that side of her hidden from others, she radiated strength and everyone knew it but they rarely saw the other side of her.

He continued to watch her, her eyes were closed in concentration and a crease formed between her perfect brows, but then he saw a tear rolling down her cheek, she was in pain, she gasped.

Damien chest tightened at the sight of her in pain, he used every ounce of his gaining power to speak

"Reyna stop" he gasped

She was taking his pain, she was in agony because of him and he couldn't let that happen, but still she continued, tears escaped her lashes, rolling down her cheeks, glittering gold with the glow of her tattoo

With what little strength he had he grasped her wrist and tried to pull her away but she held onto him, her strength outweighing his right now

"Reyna!" he breathed, looking up at her but she still did not open her eyes, sweat beading on her forehead

She was now gritting her teeth with the strain of using her powers to heal him, Damien could feel his strength returning to his body and he managed to pull Reyna's hands from his chest, causing the Praetor to fall forward. Damien just about caught her, holding her close to him, cradling her head against his chest, hand stroking her hair softly

"Reyna?" he whispered to her "Talk to me"

The glow from her tattoo faded and they were plunged into darkness once again, Damien wheezed as he forced himself to sit up, his fingers going to her neck searching and praying that he would feel a pulse

"C'mon Reyna" he begged

He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the steady thrumming of her heartbeat beneath his fingers, he held her even closer and placed a light kiss on the top of her head.

He then looked around, hoping his eyes would adjust a little, he started to see edges and shapes, but nothing definite, he squinted, he reckoned that they were in a small clearing at the base of the cliff that the pair of them had tumbled down, he could make out trees nearby

Next he listened, hoping to hear anything that could help him, the rustling of leaves, gentle rumble of thunder overhead, there was some sort of water nearby, he could hear a quiet trickling of water.

A thought hit him, were there dangerous animals in this jungle, or worst monsters that hid in the shadows, he had a sinking feeling that they were being watched, he reached down to his waist and unbuckled his belt, a gift from Reyna last year, he whipped it and it straightened into an imperial gold sword, he gripped the hilt and guarded Reyna and himself with it.

He didn't know how long he waited with her in his arms but after a while he heard a distant calling, he wasn't sure where it was coming from but he knew that voice came from a small woman with crazy curly hair.

Damien took a deep breath, covering Reyna's ears "HAZEL!" he bellowed out, his voice echoed off the cliff he and Reyna had fallen down,

Silence fell and he feared that he had imagined the voice

"DAMIEN!" he heard in the distance

"HAZEL WE'RE HERE" he strained his voice as he shouted into the darkness

A few seconds later Damien saw a light shining far off though what he assumed were trees, within a minute the daughter of Pluto had found them, her eyes growing wide as she took in Damien's battered body and the unmoving Reyna in his arms

"Is she…?" Hazel's words failed, her a hand going to her mouth

Damien shook his head "She is just out… she did something, healed me I think?"

Hazel nodded and knelt next to her friend, she shone her light over Reyna, she had a few minor cuts but nothing that seemed serious, she checked her pulse again, and checked her eyes

"She has used too much of her powers, she probably just needs to sleep it off" Hazel moved some hair from her face "Using it drains her"

"She can heal people?" Damien asked

"Not exactly" Hazel said turning her little medical training to Damien "Oh Gods Damien" she said in shock as she took in his gashed head and bruised features, blood covering most of the right side of his face

"I've had worse" he attempted to joke but neither of them laughed so he changed the subject quickly "What do you mean not exactly?"

Hazel began wiping the blood from Damien's face "It's something she gets from her mother, she can give her strength to others, it can come in different ways, Demigods have faster healing abilities due to their godly parentage, she just gave you her strength to heal yourself"

"Right, but she is going to be okay though right?" he asked his hand continuing to stroke her hair "She saved my life"

Hazel smiled at his obvious affection at her "She just needs rest, she done this before and was better after a long sleep"

"Okay" he nodded "Good"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Damien didn't know when he fell asleep but he soon found himself waking up to the sound of tropical birds high above in the canopy, daylight streamed through the leaves, illuminating everything with a faint green tint to it, the jungle was a beautiful sight in sunlight, he saw high above that flowers hung from the limbs of the massive trees.

Movement in his arms caused him to look down, a small smile creeping over his face as he saw Reyna move and rub her tired eyes, large brown orbs finding his face

"You're okay" she said taking a deep, sleepy breath, her beautiful eyes still heavy with exhaustion

"Yer, thanks to you" he replied softly, he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her raven hair once more "Thank you Reyna"

Her tired eyes began to close again "Thought I'd return the favour" she slurred before she fell back into a deep slumber

Damien watched her with a dopey smile plastered on his face, she was still curled against his chest as he lent back against a rock they had moved to last night. Hazel had cleaned his face up and did what little medical attention as she could with the tiny med kit they had brought with them as he held Reyna close to him, not wanting to let her go, not even for a moment, he could still feel the stitches she had used to close the nasty gash on his forehead.

"I see you're feeling better" a voice came from nearby

Damien jumped slightly as he turned to see Hazel sat nearby, her jacket wrapped around her small body, her sword in hand, eyes vigilant

"Hey" he replied wiping the grin from his features

Hazel's golden eyes flickered over Reyna wrapped in Damien's arms "Y'know you haven't moved all night" she gave him a small smile "You've slept for hours"

"Slept?" Damien's mind panicked, he stared looking around fearful that this was another sick nightmare thought up by Elliot, he loosened his arms from around Reyna who didn't even stir

Hazel saw the panic "Damien… just relax, don't hurt her" she reached a hand out in a calming manner

Damien's eyes flashed towards Hazel "I would never…" but his words failed him as he remembered what Elliot had conjured in his mind, he took a deep breath and looked down at the slumbering beauty "How can I be sure though?" he asked

Hazel sensed the fear in his voice "Look at her Damien, really look at her" she gestured towards Reyna "Use her as your anchor, can Elliot really fool you so well that you forget the real her, she has shown her true self to you Damien, use that and remember of the connection you two share, that cannot be faked"

Damien looked down at her, he caressed her warm cheek, feeling the softness of her skin, surely this could not be in his mind. The slow breaths making her chest rise and fall gently, the way one of her hands gripped the front of his shirt like she was afraid he would disappear while she slept

"Only you can decide if this is real or not" Hazel said, watching his reaction carefully, she remembered the first time he had woken with Reyna around, he had stabbed himself with a pen knife which Reyna had never given back to him

"I want her to be real…" He muttered dropping his hand from her face and taking a breath "But how can she be real? She's perfect"

Hazel's smile grew on her features, she had known for a very long time that the both of them shared feelings for one another, she also knew why Reyna had tried to keep these feelings a secret from everyone, especially Damien himself, she feared it would make her weak in front of her legion, she had already bent the rules that she held so dear to keep him safe.

"Damien in the end we only regret the chances we didn't take" Hazel quoted softly, a kind smile on her face "Being a child of Pluto and having already died once… well, just trust me, I know a few things about wasted chances" Sadness crossed her petite features

Damien frowned slightly "You died once?" he asked

Hazel's gave him a small smile once more "That is a long story, the short version is I was born in 1928 and due to my mother's greediness we were tricked by Gaia, goddess of the earth and she needed my mother to sacrifice herself and I erupted the ground we were on halting Gaea's plans but unfortunately it killed me and my mother in the process"

Damien jaw dropped "That's the short version?"

Hazel nodded

"How did you come back?" he asked "Like don't get me wrong it's great but I just wonder how"

Hazel smirked "My brother Nico, he found me in the Underworld and brought me back to the land of the living"

"There is still a lot I need to learn it seems" Damien said looking down at Reyna again "But I'd like to learn it all"

"Will you stay this time?" Hazel asked, watching his expression closely

Damien pushed Reyna's hair back from her face "If the Praetor will have me, I haven't exactly been a model Roman, I don't even know if I would be accepted back, it seemed like I caused trouble by leaving last time and you two kept me a secret"

Hazel dropped her eyes "That is true, I have no doubt that there will be a punishment waiting for you but a true Roman accepts the consequences"

Damien nodded solemnly "I will take whatever they throw at me if it means returning with the both of you" he sighed "I've made a lot of mistakes Hazel"

"Nobody is perfect Damien, to err is human as they say"

Damien smirked up at her "You like quoting people don't you?"

"I like to read, you pick stuff up along the way" Hazel shrugged "Stick by her Damien and return to Camp Jupiter with us, if it is truly what you want" she touched her own tattoo "You will always have a place with us"

Damien nodded but didn't take his eyes from the sleeping Praetor in his arms, in this moment he felt peaceful like he hadn't felt in a very long time, he wished that they could stay here forever, but he also knew the importance of the quest they had been set.

So for now he would just and enjoy it while Reyna rested, his arms wrapped around her body, his mind flashed back to when she had fallen asleep at her desk and he had carried her to her bed, at first he wasn't sure if he should move her but she didn't look very comfortable. He recalled lifting her into his arms and laying her gently on the bed, he had sat down beside her so he could pull the cover over her, the next thing he knew he was waking up looking her in the face, and then she freaked out, not his finest moment, but one of his best memories.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Hazel had made a small fire while Reyna slept, it crackled away sending small waves of heat out, she had heated up some water and pulled out a small silver sachet. Damien watched her and smiled a little

"She really does love hot chocolate huh" he said jokingly

Hazel laughed a little "Yer, I think some days it's the only thing that keeps her sane, what with all the meetings and endless paperwork"

"Why does she do it all if it drives her mad?" Damien asked

"Because I do it to keep my people safe" Reyna mumbled

Damien looked down in surprise to see Reyna opening her tired brown eyes, she looked up at him and then across to Hazel

"Do I smell hot chocolate?" she asked sitting up slowly, Damien helped her to sit up against the same rock he was leaning against, she still looked as though she might pass out at any minute, her skin paled slightly with the exhaustion of using her powers

"It's a good possibility" Hazel grinned broadly at her, she reached out the piping hot travel mug she had produced from her bag, the heavenly liquid inside, these girls really did travel with everything Damien thought to himself.

Reyna went to take it but fell back against the rock, a hand going to her head, the jungle floored seemed to be tipping,

"You okay?" Damien said placing his hands on her shoulders, concern clear in his eyes

Reyna took a deep breath and dropped her hand "Yer I'm fine, just light headed" she looked down at her hands, clenching then unclenching her hands, testing out her motor skills

Damien tucked a few stands of loose hair behind her ear "You sure?"

She nodded weakly meeting his gaze, Damien took the mug from Hazel and held it for Reyna to take

"Thank you" she attempted a smile but it was clear for the other two that she was still feeling the toll

Damien sat back down, settling next to her but he kept his eyes on her, not being able to pull his gaze away, Hazel's words from earlier still in his minds

Reyna felt his gaze upon her "How are you feeling?" she asked not sure how to feel under his stare

"I'm a lot better thanks to you Reyna, but you shouldn't have put yourself at risk like you did for me" he answered

Reyna rolled her eyes "You say that after you jumped off a cliff to save me"

Damien went to reply but words failed him, he knew she was right

"Exactly" Reyna said a little smugness in her voice "I know the limits of my powers Damien and you weren't moving, what else was I supposed to do?"

Damien nodded and smiled at her "Thank you Reyna" he placed a hand on her knee

Reyna's cheeks flared red, Hazel averted her gaze but a small grin flashed over her lips, she saw out of the corner of her eyes that Reyna placed her hand over his, the two sharing a moment

"It's my duty as Praetor" she turned her gaze back to the cup in her hand and pulled away from Damien's touch,

Damien felt that clutching feeling in his chest as he watched her, he nodded though, doing his best to understand her situation, Reyna had always said that her first priority was to New Rome

"But thank you Damien" she whispered, though she kept her eyes locked on the cup

Damien remained quiet, taking his own cup from Hazel who decided it was up to her to fill the silence now

"Are you feeling up to moving, maybe continuing for a while longer on our journey" asked Hazel "We can stay a while longer if you need it"

Reyna took a sip of her drink and nodded "Not necessary, we have spent too much time here already, who knows what is going on with the mortals, with one of the muses gone this long, it was already affecting Camp Half-Blood when we left"

"Okay" Hazel replied but looked Reyna up and down, seeing the tiredness in her eyes "Just take it easy, if you need a break take it"

Reyna waved her hand signalling she was going to be fine, she finished her drink and popped the mug into her own satchel and put both her hands on the rock behind her, taking a deep breath she pushed herself up slowly, testing out her legs and her balance.

Damien stood close just in case she tumbled again, but the Praetor was strong and persistent, she did a good job at hiding her weaknesses, nevertheless his golden eyes watched her, it was his fault she was weakened and he wanted to help her if she needed it.

She brushed the leaves and dirt from her clothing and she turned to face Hazel, she waited for her head to stop spinning before speaking, steadying herself subtly on the rock face behind her, feeling all eyes upon her

"Right… which way?" she asked, a little disoriented, there were no flowers down in this ditch

Hazel drew a compass from one of her pockets and looked from it to the trees then back again,

"Well" she started "We were heading in a north east direction before, so I guess keep going in that general direction, hopefully we can pick up the trail"

Reyna nodded her approval to the plan and set off after the shorter demigod, Damien's eyes watched her as she swayed slightly, but corrected herself, he decided to stay close to her just to be sure she didn't go tumbling over anymore cliffs.

He helped her whenever they had to climb over fallen trees or down hills, Damien had been feeling a lot better after Reyna had given her strength to him last night and the dreamless sleep, He hadn't felt this good in a very long time.

They walked for half the day according to Reyna's watch, they had stopped a few times even though Reyna insisted they kept going, but it was clear to everyone that she was still feeling the effects of using her abilities, Damien had taken her pack again, she had shot him a look when he took it from her shoulders but he just grinned at her and gestured for her to continued.

It was when they were all sat on a fallen log that Damien heard what he thought was a whisper through the trees, he turned looking into the forest but heard nothing, he dismissed it as the breeze or something and returned to his drink.

A few moments later he heard a definite voice, he stood and faced the direction of the noise, stepping towards it with his hand on the hilt of his blade, he had no idea what creatures lurked in the jungle

"Damien?" Hazel said curiously, standing as well following his lead along with Reyna

Damien's eyes flickered from tree to tree "I thought I'd heard something" another step closer, straining his ears

The two girls listened as well, but all they heard was the distant birds and the light breeze through the leaves. Damien stepped forward his eyes telling him it was nothing but his instincts telling him they were being watched

A sudden just of wind had him backing up to the girls, sword drawn in a defensive stance

"Leave me" moaned a voice


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The three demigods stared at the treeline, there was a strange breeze blowing picking up fallen leaves and flower petals, they swirled in front of them, filling the small clearing

"Leave" the wind hissed

Damien's eyes watched the swirling air, he was sure the voice was coming from that breeze, he cast a glance back to Reyna who was also watching the treeline, by the look on her face she was thinking the same as Damien. She looked up at Damien before her eyes flickered back to the leaves in the breeze, composing her features, becoming the Praetor once again.

"We have come from far to speak with you" Reyna said with the air of the leader that she was "Lord Hyacinth please"

The wind picked up swirling in a small tornado

"I said leave, I wish to be alone" the voice was more forceful now as the small hurricane in front of them took on more and more debris "Be gone from my exile"

Reyna stepped forward in front of Damien, his grip tightened on his sword

"I'm afraid we cannot leave until we have the answers that we seek" she said calmly "The world of mortals and gods alike depend on it" she put away her own weapon

There was a sudden gust which forced Reyna backwards, Damien stood strong against the wind, his arms catching Reyna who stumbled back

"LEAVE!" the disembodied voice yelled "GO NOW AND LEAVE ME"

Reyna took a deep breath a hand going to her head, she was still weak from her power being drained

"You would really condemn us all?" Damien steadied Reyna and took a few steps closer to the whirlwind, shielding his face from the debris "Hyacinth I know what it is like to have loved and lost"

The wind slowed slightly as though he was listening

"Like you my love was taken from me too soon" he continued "I know the feeling of your heart being ripped from your chest, the feeling that you would give anything just to hold them one more time, to remember the warmth of their skin"

Reyna looked away, she felt a tightening in her chest as Damien spoke of Elena with such heartache and longing

The breeze slowed even further

Damien placed a hand over his chest, trying to find common ground with the heartbroken voice before him,

"I can't even imagine what I would do if I got the opportunity to bring them back" he took another step forward, the flowers and leaves starting to come together making a humanoid shape

"He was my first true love" the voice whispered "He was different from Apollo, he was there he was a real man, a mortal, with a mortal heart that had room for one, and he chose me"

Damien now stood directly in front of the flower made man "And when you lose them it is like your whole world has been ripped away and you feel incomplete without them, cause how can you go on when they are not there by your side"

The smaller flowers now formed a face, petals forming features of a heartbroken man

"I just wanted him back, it was unfair when they took him from me" the fists clenched "It was unfair" a liquid with a green hue fell from his petal lids

Damien tilted his head, trying to cover the pain that threatened to crack his voice "It always is" he looked in to where he thought Hyacinth's eyes should be "You brought him back didn't you, so you could be together"

The flower man nodded slowly "I thought it would be as it was before, but…" his voice faded, becoming the gently breeze again

"But he wasn't the same was he?" Damien asked, his eyes full of compassion for the broken hearted being, Damien knew his pain well

Reyna watched with sorrow in her eyes as Damien spoke so passionately about his lost love Elena, it was clear to her that he still felt her presence in his soul every day, her heart sank a little, but she understood, she couldn't imagine losing someone you loved, she composed her face though she sensed Hazel's eyes upon her, the younger demigod coming to stand beside her

"He was so angry, hell bent on revenge against the Muses and my former lover Apollo" Hyacinth looked down ashamed "I tried to reason with him, convince him to stay here with me and we could be together but after all that time spent in the Underworld and after what they had done to him, to punish him"

"They took away his ability to create music" Damien said

Hyacinth shook his head "Not only that, they took away his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes that made many swoon, the eyes he used to see the beauty in the world, ripped them from his face" he wiped away some sap that had formed on his cheek "And now he is taking the beauty from this world so no one else can see it"

"Where is he now?" asked Damien kindly

Hyacinth hesitated

Damien took another step closer and stood before the floral being "You said yourself, he isn't the same man you fell in love with" he placed a gentle hand on the being's shoulder "I'm sorry Hyacinth but he is gone, the being you released is just filled with hatred now"

Hyacinth looked back up at the demigod and nodded slowly "He has gone to his ice palace where his name resonates throughout the caves, beyond even a titan's reach"

"What?" said Damien, utterly confused by the cryptic answer "What does that mean?"

There was a huge gust of wind and a crying wail and Hyacinth was gone, the trio shielded their eyes as all the debris blasted past them, when they looked around but there was no sign of where Hyacinth had gone

"Why is it that whenever you ask them something they never give you a straight answer?" Damien muttered turning back to the girls, his face dropping when Reyna wouldn't meet his gaze, his mind going back to what he had said to Hyacinth, at the time he had only said it to form a connection and get what they needed, but how must that have seemed to her? He wanted to say something but what could he say in this moment

"An ice palace where his name resonates" Hazel repeated, her mind too focused on the riddle than the awkward situation in front of her "Thamyris… ice palace… somewhere with ice caves"

The shorter demigod paced back and forth trying to think of any connection between the two, she ran her hands frustratedly through her wild curls, something was at the back of her mind something that she should know

Damien came to stand close besides Reyna, leaning close to her ear "Can I talk to you in private?" he whispered

Reyna kept her eyes on Hazel as she wracked her brains "There is nothing to talk about Damien, we have a quest to focus on"

Before he was able to reply she walked towards Hazel, leaving him standing there biting his tongue, feeling like hitting himself

"Thamyris… Thamyris" it was right on the tip of her tongue "Ice… berg… snow… glacier…" her mind snapped as it came flooding back to her

"Thamyris glacier!" she blurted out, her golden eyes flying open and finding the others "An ice palace in which his name resonates, it's the Thamyris Glacier, one of the islands off of Antarctica"

Reyna exhaled finally feeling like they were making progress "I may have to call in some reinforcements, though they are not going to be too happy with our destination"

Hazel looked down at Damien's attire, his tattered t-shirt and jeans from the fall "Might need some warmer clothes as well"

Reyna nodded "I need to get a signal" she pulled her phone from her pocket


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

As they neared the a small town and Reyna's phone began to capture a signal the trio heard shouting and loud noises, as the girls rounded the corner of a building they were quickly tugged back by Damien as gunshots sounded, he forced the girls to duck down just as the building opposite was riddled with bullet holes.

"Stay down" Damien commanded quietly as his eyes peered round the corner and he took in the carnage before him, people were yelling, some screaming, it looked like there had been a car collision and a man stood on top of one of the vehicles, he was yelling and waving around a gun, Damien couldn't understand what he was saying

He glanced back towards Reyna "What is he shouting about?"

Reyna moved closer as she listened over the noise of the screams and yells to hear that one man

"It's Portuguese, I can only pick up small snippets but he is looking for the man who crashed into his car" she flinched when more shots sounded, she was used to swords and spears, not the modern weaponry of men "He is going to kill him" she said locking eyes with Damien

Damien chanced a glance round the corner again, the large man was aiming at random civilians who hadn't been able to flee yet, many ducked for cover, he could hear crying, people filled with fear, he didn't blame them as he watched the crazed armed man, waving an assault rifle around

"It's the Muses" Hazel said, drawing their attention "Remember what Moneta said, the Muses are what keep the beauty in the world, without them anger and hatred will fill everyone, it's already started" she gestured in the direction of the yelling

More shots and the man shouted as women and children screamed, Damien's eyes zeroed in on a woman clutching her two small children, not twenty feet from the raging gunman. His eyes then studied the surrounding buildings, looking at routes to coming within range of the man, he need to take him down before anyone else got hurt

He turned to the two girls "You two stay out of sight and get a signal, I'll be right back" he went to move but a hand clasped around his forearm, he looked down into Reyna's dark, warm eyes

"Don't even think about it" she warned

"Never do" he winked at her and bolted across the street, using the other vehicles as cover

He climbed up a street post and leapt to the nearby roof, he took a deep breath as he crouched low, he moved slowly along the corrugated roof top, trying to stay as quiet as possible, even though he doubted the man would hear him over his own shouting.

He dared to peak over the edge again, the man had his back to him, he chose this time to bolt, he scrambled across the roof top, dropping to the next building before charging towards the ledge, the man was starting to turn, gun raised at the noise he was not expecting.

Reyna watched as Damien leapt towards the man, as gunshots rang out, aiming at the demigod as he soared through the air, the two men's bodies collided together and disappeared behind the vehicles, everything went silent.

Reyna gasped as she watched them fall, both girls started to move quickly towards the area they saw Damien disappear, they heard groaning as they grew closer, Reyna drew her dagger just as they passed the cars to see two bodies lying on the ground, not knowing which was making the noise

"Damien?" Reyna's voice was low

Damien rolled over onto his back looking up at them, taking deep breaths

"Yep" he groaned, wiping the blood from his lip "I'm good… just gonna lay here a minute" he gave them a thumbs up, a smile grew over Hazel's face while Reyna rolled her eyes and turned to look at her phone

"You're impossible" she mumbled

They were suddenly interrupted by a woman running over with the two small children, words rushing from her mouth, she knelt before Damien as he attempted to sit up, her eyes filled with tears as she gestured to her kids then to Damien and finally to the knocked out man.

Damien had no idea what she was saying and was even more taken aback when she grabbed his collar and pulled him close kissing him firmly on the lips, before he could pull away she was gone tugging on her kids hands and rushing down a side street

"Wh-what?" he said dumbfounded by what just happened, he looked up to Hazel and then to Reyna, who dropped her gaze quickly back to her phone

Hazel laughed "I think she was appreciative of you saving her life" she extended a hand to help Damien to his feet, as he rose he stretched, pain crossing his features, there was a nasty cracking sound as he pulled on one of his shoulders

He looked around at the empty street and the carnage that had gone on "Maybe we should clear out before anyone starts asking us questions"

"Agreed" Reyna piped up as she slipped her phone inside her pocket "Unless there's any other South American women you want to make out with?"

Damien couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but he decided to keep his mouth shut and just follow the others, checking their surroundings for any other maniacs

"Did you get a hold of reinforcements?" Hazel asked as they left the small town

Reyna nodded and looked up at the sky, it was late afternoon "They will not be here until morning, we should find somewhere safe to stay for the night"

Damien looked back at the town then down the long expanse of dirt track surrounded by jungle "Well I don't think we are going to find a Hilton anywhere nearby" he attempted a joke but it was clear that Reyna was still upset by the day's events, so once more the trio fell into silence, the only sound was their footsteps on the ground and the occasional wild animal's call.

They walked for another hour or so while the sun dropped lower in the sky and they were forced to stop, Reyna directed them to a clearing, it looked like a field used for harvesting

"She should meet us here" Reyna said, taking a seat on a rock formation at the edge of the clearing

"Who?" asked Damien, rubbing the back of his neck, it was still aching from his fall earlier

"Annabeth Chase" Reyna replied, keeping her eyes on the sky

Damien leaned towards Hazel "Who's Annabeth?"

Hazel smiled slightly "She is the smartest Demigod you will ever meet, almost as brave as Reyna"

Reyna smiled a little "Almost"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Damien stretched as he tried to keep himself awake, the sun was just dropping down behind the trees now, casting the sky in a beautiful pinkish light, he glanced over to see Reyna and Hazel creating a fire and beginning to cook some more of their rations.

As he looked at Reyna's profile he felt a tug at his chest once more, he didn't know what it meant but it only seemed to happen when she was around, maybe guilt… he exhaled and leant back against the rock. No matter what he did he always seemed to hurt the one he cared so much for, he left her a long time ago and broke her heart according to Hazel, not to mention what pain he had caused her by speaking so passionately about Elena earlier to Hyacinth, yes he would always love Elena, but he also knew that she was gone and he couldn't keep denying the way he felt about Reyna.

He stared at the sky as it gradually grew darker, wondering if he could ever find a way to make it up to the Praetor, Hazel had said be there for her even when she tried to push him away and he was trying to be, he would do anything for her.

"Damien?"

The son of Letus sat up at the familiar voice, his eyes instantly finding the gorgeous brown of Reyna

"Hey" he said attempting a smile

She held out a tin plate with some greasy looking food on it "Thought you might be hungry"

He reached up and took it, their fingers touching for a moment, sending a tingling sensation down Damien's arm

"Thank you"

She hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to ask something important

"What's wrong" Damien asked, concern creasing his brow

"I.. I was" she closed her eyes making up her mind "I was wondering how you were feeling after diving off of the building and tackling a gunman?"

Damien knew that that wasn't the question she wanted to ask but he also didn't want to push her

"I'm fine, just aching a little" he answered truthfully

She nodded and was about to turn away when Damien spoke, wanting her company for a little while longer

"How are you feeling?"

She looked back down at him "I'm fine" she said but he didn't believe her for a second

He reached up and took her hand, feeling her freeze beneath his touch

"Reyna… I'm sorry" he took a deep breath, standing so he could look her in the eyes properly "For everything I have put upon you, it is never my intention to hurt you and I want you to know that…" he gently ran his thumb over the back of her hand

Reyna broke eye contact, choosing instead to look at her feet "There is no reason to apologise, you don't owe me anything"

"But I do Reyna" he countered "You saved my life and you gave me purpose, you don't realise how much you have helped me over the past 2 years, kept me sane when all else fell away"

"Damien-

"Don't, please don't say my name like that" he begged, knowing the tone in her voice "I need you to know this and I need you to believe me when I say I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you and no matter what lies ahead for me I am glad that I found my way back to you"

Reyna looked back up at him and he could see the slight glistening in her eyes "I can't" she whispered "I need to protect my legion first and foremost, I put their needs before mine and that is what makes me a good Praetor and leader"

"Even if it makes you unhappy?" he asked

"Victoria petit sacrificium" she said simply "Victory demands sacrifice"

"Amor omnia vincit" he countered

Silence hung heavy in the air as his words sank in, Reyna lost for words as she looked up into the glowing golden brown eyes of Damien Blake, the son of Letus, the man who constantly plagued her mind… the man who still spoke of his lost love with so much passion

Reyna closed her eyes and stepped back out of his reach "It is my choice to be the Praetor that I am, my choice to live the way I do" she looked back up at him, the water that was in her eyes now gone, replaced by the regal mask of the Praetor

"That's your answer?" Damien asked, he could feel the pulling at his chest intensify

"It is my life Damien" she said quietly

She could see his jaw tighten but he nodded, but she saw the light dim in his eyes. Reyna returned the nod and turned returning to her place by Hazel and the fire, her back to Damien

Damien watched her for a moment longer before Hazel looked over to him, a confused look in her eyes, Damien shook his head slowly as realisation crossed the smaller woman's features, her eyes growing sad.

The son of Letus returned to his seated position away from the two women, his food forgotten about as he stared out across the dark field, he clutched his chest as he felt like it might tear open at any moment. He took long deep breaths as his body felt cold, the rejection of Reyna worse than any mind trick that Elliot had created to torture him.

Damien took a small dagger from his pocket, twisting it over in his hands, catching his reflection in the blade, he wanted to be able to say that this was the nightmare but somewhere in his head he knew that Elliot couldn't create the pain he was feeling now. He gazed at the blade a moment longer before tucking it back into his pocket and exhaling running a hand through his hair which was now filthy from trekking through the rainforest and lying in a muddy ditch.

That night he did not sleep, he had offered to keep watch, Hazel only allowed him to if he woke her up in the night to switch shifts, but he never did, he let them sleep while he watched Reyna and listened to the surrounding noises.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Reyna… Reyna wake up"

He could feel someone shaking her, her hand tightening around her blade until she recognised the voice that was waking her, she opened her eyes to see Damien looking up towards the sky, he glanced back down at her, seeing that she was awake he stepped back

"What's wrong?" she asked a little groggy

Damien pointed towards the skyline "We have company"

Reyna spun over to see three large silhouettes coming over the trees, the sky a blood orange after yesterday's storm, Reyna stood as the figures became clearer, large wings flapped against the air

"Annabeth" she breathed as the blonde hair whipped in the breeze as they landed their pegai and dismounted

Reyna walked forward to meet them while Damien woke Hazel, who had a smile on her face when she saw who had arrived. She leapt to her feet and rushed over to the blonde wrapping her arms around her in an embrace, Damien held back not wanting to be a downer on the reunion that was obviously happening.

Damien assumed the blonde female was Annabeth but Reyna had said nothing about the man accompanying her, he too stayed quiet and slightly behind Annabeth, Damien reckoned that he had never actually met Reyna or Hazel before, which struck him as odd, seeing as how close the women seemed

"Damien" called Reyna gesturing him to join them

He walked over to where the group was by the three pegai

"This is the child of Letus, Damien" Reyna introduced "Damien this is Annabeth, Daughter of Athena and Markos Son of Ares"

The guy nodded towards Damien and he returned it, unsure of what to say to them. The blonde, Annabeth however stepped towards him, curiosity in her grey eyes

"So you are the famous Damien" she said looking him up and down

"And you're the girl who is almost as brave as Reyna" he countered

Annabeth shot a look back at Reyna "Is that what you've been telling him?" she teased

"Only the truth" Reyna grinned

Annabeth turned her attention back to Damien, she held out her hand "May I?"

Damien looked between her and Reyna, who nodded, silently signalling that it was okay, so Damien extended his hand, which was taken immediately by the blonde, who flipped over his hand and grabbed his wrist, checking for a pulse.

There was a long silence before Annabeth looked up into his eyes "Fascinating" she muttered, her hand darting to his neck checking there as well

Damien shifted uncomfortably at being poked and prodded "Are you a medic?" he asked as she continued to check his lack of vitals

"No" she said stepping back sensing she was being a little intrusive for someone she had just met "I'm just curious, daughter of wisdom and all"

"Right" Damien said slowly not 100% sure who Athena was but getting the general idea, he looked to Reyna who was smiling softly, it dropping when she made eye contact with him

"We should proceed" she gestured to the winged horses "We have a long way ahead of us and not a lot of time to do it in"

Annabeth nodded turning back to the pegai "We brought everything you asked for" she moved to the side where a saddle bag was draped over the winged horse's back, she opened it allowing Reyna to peek in

"Annabeth I cannot thank you enough, but I need you to take into account the dangers that face us on our quest ahead" Reyna said seriously "I don't want you to go in without thinking through all of the risks involved"

Annabeth placed a hand on her shoulder "Risk analysis is what I do best and I know that numbers also count towards victory"

Reyna smiled kindly at the blonde "I can't repay you enough for you friendship Annabeth"

The raven haired Praetor reached into the bag and threw the content at Damien, he used his reflexes to catch it before it hit him in the face, he unrolled it to reveal a heavy winter jacket, it felt unnecessary in the south American heat but he watched as the others shrugged into them and headed towards the winged beasts, he mimicked and followed, but he slowed as he neared the creatures, they seemed to back away a little at his approach

"You ever ridden a Pegasus before?"

He turned as the big guy Markos walked over

Damien shook his head "Can't say that I have, grew up in a city… not really a place for large animals"

Markos nodded "They used to be afraid of me too, wanna know the secret?"

Damien looked back at the winged horse "Yep" he said as the creature whinnied and shook it's head

Markos reached into a bag and produced some sugar cubes, which he handed to the child of Letus

"Go and introduce yourself" he said, pushing the smaller guy towards the horse "Her name is Firefly" he said

Damien straightened and looked at the chestnut beast in front of him, he held out his hand with the sugar cubes in them and slowly walked forward

"Tell her your name" Markos called

Damien felt a little foolish but he came closer to the Pegasus "I don't know what I'm supposed to say" he whispered "But I know animals don't like me, I have my father's scent, but I am not him, my name is Damien" he lifted his hand and the Pegasus thought for a moment before carefully nibbling the cubes out of his hand, it then looked up at his, sniffing at his chest and gently nudging it.

"Yer, no heartbeat" he confirmed guessing that was what the beautiful creature was getting at "But Firefly I need you help… see that girl" he subtly nodded towards Reyna

"I need to help her save the world" he slowly placed a hand on the horse's muzzle "I'd do anything for her"

The horse grumbled in response seeming to understand what he was saying and pressed her head into his chest, Damien took that to mean that Firefly now accepted him. Damien glanced back to see the group watching him, his heart soared when he saw the faint smile crossing Reyna's features

"Right" announced Annabeth "Let's go"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Damien gripped tightly onto the mane of Firefly, they were high above the ground now as they soared over South American countries, he had no idea what they were but the scenery from up here in the bright light glistening down was phenomenal. He glanced over to the other two pegai in their v formation, Annabeth was riding a black horse with Markos's arms wrapped around her, the blonde look happy in his arms. Damien then looked over to the leading Pegasus, it was white with a dark muzzle, upon the beautiful creature was an even more beautiful being, her plaited hair blowing in the wind, a smile on her face.

It struck him as a little odd that someone with such a fear of planes would love to be up so high on a flying horse with no seatbelts, but he thought that maybe it was being brought up in the world that she did, whereas Damien was brought up around mortals, with all of their machines and technology, Reyna was brought up in the world of magic, away from all of that, maybe she didn't trust it.

Hazel held onto the Praetor, sharing the Pegasus, she looked like she was enjoying it less. Damien had remembered that she once spoke of a horse she had a connection with, she said she didn't own him but that when she needed him he was there for her. Damien didn't realise just how much the mythical creatures connected with the Demigods, he had never introduced himself to any creature before but now as he soared on the back of Firefly he did feel a connection with the beast, a trust that he had that she wouldn't drop him.

Damien could see the ocean now, he would guess that they were now leaving South American airspace and further south towards the tip of Antarctica, Damien didn't know what to expect, all he knew was that he was going to rescue a Muse from an un-dead Thracian singer, but looking around at the others on this quest he knew that Reyna was expecting a fight, so he had to be ready, he was thankful he still had the sword Hazel had given him all that time ago, currently it was wrapped around his waist in the belt form it took.

The land was fading further and further away now, no going back, he didn't want to go back, not without Reyna, he would follow her to the ends of the earth, which was exactly what he felt he was doing right now. Her words from last night echoed in his mind tormenting him, choosing her duties over anything else, but she was right… it was her choice, her life to live and he would respect that, he would support her in every way he knew how.

And though his dormant heart screamed for more, he would do whatever she said and he didn't ever think he would feel this way again, not after Elena. He never thought he could, not with having a cold unbeating heart but he couldn't deny it, he was madly in love with Reyna.

He continued to watch her for a long time, he barely noticed when the air grew colder, it wasn't until his breath started to fog up, his bare skin on his face and hands so cold they felt sore, he rummaged in the pockets of the heavy jacket and pulled out the gloves that the Greeks had provided, he tugged them on and rubbed them together.

The cold wind continued to whip past him as he hugged closer to Firefly, thankful for her body heat, his teeth gritted as the cold air hurt his lungs, but he knew he would soon acclimatise.

"WE'RE CLOSE" called Reyna over to them, pointing towards the horizon

Damien's eyes strained to see the faint white mass running long the skyline, the midday sun glaring of the white snow that covered the island, at any other point in his life Damien would have found this a beautiful sight but he knew that danger was waiting there for them. Damien had been in a few fights in his life, but they were street kid scraps, yes he had trained with the legion for a while but he was nothing compared to Reyna and Hazel. Deep down he feared that maybe he wasn't good enough, he was good at running away, escaping from fights by using his parkour, he was the weak link in this chain.

He looked over at the others, both Reyna and Hazel, Annabeth and Markos, he didn't want any of them to get hurt because he wasn't good enough.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Firefly and the others started to descend towards the island of ice, he inhaled deeply and looked across at Reyna, she gave him the strength he needed, she radiated strength and it was infectious, no one could deny, that is what made her a great Praetor.

Firefly's hooved clacked against the ground as she skidded a little on the ice as she slowed to a trot, she huffed when she came to a standstill, her legs shaking in the cold. Damien dismounted immediately, a hand resting on her neck

"Thanks for not dropping me" he whispered leaning his head against hers, he couldn't deny the connection he felt with the Pegasus

"I miss California"

He turned to see Hazel shivering violently in the snow, her golden eyes a little duller than usual, frown on her face "Why couldn't Thamyris have a beach in the Bahamas or a café in Paris" she complained

Damien smiled and pulled his rucksack off of Firefly's back, feeding her the last of the sugar cubes, he didn't notice that the raven haired Praetor came to stand beside him until she spoke

"Are you ready for this?" she asked, a hand going to stroke Firefly's muzzle

Damien looked down at her "I'm with you till the end Praetor"

She looked up at the word 'Praetor' she didn't expect him to ever call her that, she nodded and turned away, not sure of what else to say to him, she got a compass from her pocket

"This way"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The five of them trekked through the icy plains, the sun was bright in the sky but did little to provide any heat, but at least they could see, not that there was much to see, just white with a blue sky stretching for miles.

Damien had no idea if they were going the right direction but he was sure that Reyna knew how to use a compass, he remember Hazel saying that she had always had a good sense of direction, so he just followed the group, trying to keep his mind on what they were going to face.

"You are quiet"

Damien almost forgot that Hazel walked beside him, he looked down at her as they continued their journey

"Just thinking is all" he replied with a slight smile

Hazel nodded and returned the smile then her face became a little more serious

"Are you ready for what is ahead?" she asked, her golden eyes going back to watching the horizon

Damien shrugged "I hope so" he couldn't answer confidently because he honestly didn't know how he would do in a proper fight "I haven't had as much experience as the rest of you have when it comes to this sort of thing, I don't want others to get hurt if I mess up"

"I'm not going to lie to you Damien, it won't be easy, but just stay close and do what we say" Hazel said "No running off" she gave him a pointed look

She turned away her eyes focusing on something in the distance, Damien followed her gaze and saw a difference in the flat horizon line, a slight peak

"Reyna?" Hazel called

The raven haired Praetor had stopped and was looking at the horizon too

"I see it too" Reyna replied "That must be the so called Ice Palace, Thamyris Glacier, this is it"

Damien could see everyone else's posture change, the big guy, Markos had his hand already on his blade and the three girls became a little more focused, Damien did the same

"I hate the fact there is no cover" muttered Annabeth, her grey eyes darting around

"Agreed" Reyna said "We have no choice but to approach it face on, we just need to be ready for anything"

Markos inhaled deeply, standing close to Annabeth, Damien noticed that the blonde gently placed a hand on his arm and whispered something to him, his shoulders relaxing slightly, he really was one of these warriors, not quite like the romans back at Camp Jupiter, a little more wild… like a caged beast, very protective over Annabeth.

Damien took a deep breath and looked back to Reyna, not realising that her eyes were watching him, her face didn't show any emotion but in her brown eyes there was concern, she dropped her gaze and turned back to the glacier

"Let's get going, the mortals might not have much longer before the damage is irreversible"

And so the group continued towards the icy mound in the distance, with each minute that passed Damien could feel the air change, he wasn't quite sure what it was, maybe the prefight energy or perhaps even the fact that the muses's magic was fading and it had started to affect the Demigods, he hoped not.

The glacier just kept getting bigger and bigger, with nothing to measure distance against, none of them could tell just how big or how far away it was until they had actually reached the entrance, it was dark inside, shadows reaching back as far as Damien could see.

They came to a stop by the entrance, Reyna pulled the torch from her backpack and shone it into the cavern, it barely illuminated anything, this was a large and gloomy place and it put the Praetor on edge, it was so quiet, she had expected to run into someone by now, a guard perhaps, she refused to believe that Thamyris was working alone, he must have had help to capture the Muse and that meant there could be danger around any turn. Reyna hated the unknown.

The rest of the group also shone their torches around, Damien watched as they all readied their weapons, he did the same, drawing the golden sword from it's hidden place as a belt, he felt a little more confident with the cold gold in his hand, he hoped the confidence would carry him if a battle would ensue, the last time he had fought with a sword it had been at Camp Jupiter during the war games and that had ended up with him spending the two days after in the medics building.

He took a step forward to stand closer to Reyna, he knew it was silly and that she was a much more skilled fighter but his instincts told him to, if anything happened to her he wouldn't know what to do, even if she did not want him, he would protect her no matter what the cost to himself.

They all proceeded forward and into the dark cave, seen that there was a set of steps made from the ice, forcing them to go into a single file, Reyna did not like this, making it easier to pick them off one by one, but there was no other choice, it was the only way down from what she could see.

Slowly they descended, Damien staying close to Reyna, his eyes scanning the shadows and the great depth below, he could not see the bottom of the spiral ice staircase and that made him feel on edge, he had no idea how far down they had left to go and he agreed with Reyna, it was too quiet.

Further and further down they went, following the circle of steps, Damien was thankful that it was at least a little warmer down here, he removed his gloves so that he had a better grip on his sword.

"I can see the bottom" Reyna whispered as she glanced back to Damien, who also looked downwards

"We should have run into someone else right now" Annabeth muttered "I don't like this, there should have at least been a trap of some kind"

"I agree" grumbled Markos as he guarded their backs

When they neared the bottom, Damien noticed something odd on the floor by the steps, almost like a floating mist that was barely visible, but the way it moved wasn't natural, he grabbed Reyna's arm, stopping her from going any further, she froze

"What is it?" she asked, eyes scanning the surroundings, looking for the threat

"Maybe nothing, but does the floor looks… odd to you" he pointed to the ice just below Reyna's feet

Reyna followed his gaze and inspected the ice, careful not to get too close to it though

"Hazel?" she gestured for the younger demigod to come forward

Hazel's golden eyes shone for a moment as she allowed her magical senses to examine the fog "It's enchanted with faun magic" she murmured

"A faun is helping Thamyris?" Markos glared down at the floor "Great what do we do now?"

Damien got the sense that Markos didn't like things that he couldn't physically fight, the son of Letus studied the floor, seeing that it was only the ice closest to them about 5 metres away it seemed to be normal, he then looked towards the wall, judging the curvature to it, envisioning the foot placements for a wall run

"Anyone got any rope?" he asked


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

All eyes turned to him

"What are you thinking?" Reyna asked, not liking the look in his golden eyes "If you are going to try and dive head long into danger again you can forget it"

Damien looked down at the raven haired beauty, his slight smile fading "Reyna, I may not be much of a fighter but I can get us across this"

"And what if it's a trap and as soon as you get across there and separated from us they attack you?" her mask was slipping, her worry for him real "I say it's too dangerous"

Damien's eyes softened as he looked at Reyna "I don't see another option, jump or stay and wait for someone to find us"

A long silence hung in the air as the two of them stared at one another, Annabeth's grey eyes darted between them, clearly seeing what was going on between them, she glanced to Hazel who seemed to be thinking the same as she was

"Reyna" the blonde began

Reyna knew that tone and shot Annabeth a dangerous look, but Annabeth continued

"Do you trust him?" she asked the Praetor

"What?" she responded, eyes carefully watching the blonde

"Do you trust in Damien's ability?" Annabeth's eyes flashed to Damien then back to Reyna

Reyna exhaled "His ability is not in question"

"Just your trust in me" Damien finished for her, hurt in his eyes

Reyna looked up at him, wishing she could take back the words, she could see his jaw clench dangerously as he looked away from Reyna and out across the icy floor

"Damien" Annabeth said, drawing his attention to her "What's your plan?"

"A zip line of sorts" he said simply "But I need a rope"

She nodded, turning to the big guy "Markos give him some rope"

The Markos rummaged through his rucksack and pulled out some heavy duty climbing rope, he handed it to Damien, he took one end and tied it around his waist, he then handed the other end back to Markos

"Keep hold of this" he said, he turned to face the wall, but came face to face with Reyna, her dark eyes looking up at him

"Be careful" she whispered

Damien gave her a small nod and then stepped around her, he ran a hand against the wall, it was icy, but not too slick, it would make a considerable difference in tractions, limiting his distance, he turned back to Markos

"I could use a boost"

Damien got Markos to kneel on the steps with his back to him creating a makeshift springboard, he hoped it was enough

"Push up and launch me" Damien said as he planned his foot placements for the second time, his mind going through the motions he needed to make it, he didn't know what would have if he hit the magic, whether it was just an alarm system or if it would kill him on contact.

He walked back up a few steps as the girls stood back, all eyes on him, he took a few deep breaths and shook out his limbs, getting his blood flowing, he bolted down the stairs and onto Markos's back as the Greek pushed him off, launching him higher.

His feet hit the wall as he bent his knees and leapt, stretching out his body to try and lengthen his leap, he focused on the spot where he was going to land, his mind calculating in the milliseconds between his strides along the wall's surface

Soon he realised that he was going to land in the enchantment, he rolled his body in mid-air, so his legs where going over his head, his hands landed on the ground just beyond the enchantment, but in that position his upper back collided with the floor painfully, he slid to a stop, as he held his shoulder, it taking most of the force.

"Damien!" Reyna called out, she didn't care who heard the panic in her voice

"I'm fine" Damien said unconvincingly, he rolled onto all fours and slowly stood, he was pretty sure that he had a couple of cracked ribs from the impact, he took a moment, turning away from the others, taking a deep breath in, wheezing as he felt pain flare through his torso

He pulled a dagger from his waist and plunged it deep into the wall, he then tied the rope to it, signalling Markos to do the same, the men pulled the rope taught. Hazel stepped up first, being the smallest, she took hold of the rope and lifted her legs so they looped around it, she began shimmying her way down, the rope held and soon she was down next to Damien, she tried to check his injuries but he waved her away and focused on the others.

Reyna was next, Damien watched her closely as she crossed, he resisted the urge to help her down, he thought that it wouldn't be appreciated, plus she was capable of handling herself.

Markos was the last to cross, he dumped his heavy coat so he had more movement, Damien mimicked him, thinking that it was probably easier to fight without a coat on, his body felt a little chilly but he was sure he'd rather be colder and move then to have any restrictions on him.

There was only one way to go now, an even darker tunnel, they entered, staying silent, Reyna strained her ears trying to hear any signs of others in this place, she knew they were definitely in the right place, there would not have been faun magic if they were in the wrong location.

Damien listened too, his eyes occasionally finding their way back to Reyna, he jumped when she turned slightly and using her arm pressed him up against the wall, before he could respond she placed her finger on her lips signalling everyone to be quiet.

Damien stayed perfectly still, not wanting to distract her, he tried to hear what she was hearing, he strained his ears and finally he heard it, could he really be hearing the gentle voice

"Is that singing?" he whispered, his voice barely audible

Reyna nodded, she stayed close to the wall and continued her way silently down the tunnel, they allow followed suit, soon she could make out a light at the other end of the tunnel, she slowed her pace even more, the distant voice becoming clearer too, it was female and it was sad, she sung in an ancient language, it had to be Euterpe.

At last they reached the opening, icicles hung from the ceiling, torches hung from them, illuminating the vast cavern, Reyna could see a solitary figure standing in the room, Reyna's eyes scanned the rest of the space but saw no one

"She's just standing there" Reyna glanced back at Annabeth "I don't see anyone else, or any restraints"

Annabeth's grey eyes flashed with confusion "It must be a trap"

"We need to get her out of here" Reyna muttered "We take it slow"


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Reyna went to step into the space, but Damien's hand latched around her arm, she looked back up at him, his golden eyes glowing back at her

"I don't like this" he said honestly "Let me go first"

"Damien" she said slowly, like she was saying it for the thousandth time "As Praetor-

"As Praetor your life is more valuable than mine" Damien finished

Reyna shook her head "That's not how it works, no life is more important than another"

Damien stepped closer to her so only she could hear him "Your people rely on you Reyna, they need you to return and in chess you send the pawns in first"

Reyna couldn't deny his logic but she couldn't let him risk his life, not Damien

"We go together" she whispered back, making sure he knew that her word was final

It looked like he wanted to argue back but held his tongue, he just held her gaze, she took that as his agreement

"You three hang back just encase, Damien and I will go ahead" she muttered to the others before turning away and slowly making her way out into the open cavern, Damien staying close by her side, weapons ready in hand

Euterpe continued her soft singing in the middle of the icy hall, her eyes were closed, she like her sisters was dressed in the old Grecian robes, but she didn't have the glow like the rest of the muses, her power must be draining from being held captive here

"Why isn't she moving?" Damien asked looking up at the muse, she didn't appear to have an visible restraints

Reyna shook her head "I have no idea" she scanned the room again, it still seemed to quiet, the vast room empty apart from the demigods and the muse

The two of them stayed close to the wall as they made their way around, they came to a stop in front of the muse

Reyna shook her head and scanned the room again "I have no idea"

"Euterpe?" Reyna called softly

There was no response, the muse kept her eyes closed

Reyna scanned the floor in front of them, checking for any other faun magic, she saw none and took a cautionary step forward, her blade tight in her hand, out of the corner of her eye she could see Damien mirroring her movements, she was glad to have him with her.

The two of them edged closer "Euterpe?" Reyna called again a little louder, but it was as though the muse ignored them or couldn't hear them, lost in her lyrics

"What's wrong with her? Why does she just keep singing?" Damien asked as he watched as the muse sang out the sad melody of whatever ancient song she had chosen

"Touching isn't it?"

The sudden voice had Reyna whirling around searching for the source, her instincts kicking in, blade ready in her hands, her dark calculating eyes scanning the surroundings but with the muse's singing and the echoing voice bouncing off the walls she couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from.

"She is trying to sing to her sisters" the voice continued

Damien too was looking around, his eyes landing on a figure skulking in the shadows on an icy ledge, he couldn't make out any features due to the lack of light but he knew this was no ally, Damien came to stand between the figure and Reyna

"Reyna, we have company" he muttered

Reyna turned to see the same male figure looming above them

"Beautiful singing isn't it?" the figure said "Perfect" his voice echoed, he seemed to take a moment to appreciate the melodically sound before sighing

Reyna stayed quiet so Damien did the same, his eyes just watching carefully for any threats

"The ice acts almost like sound proofing… that's the modern term is it not" silence answered him, he exhaled bored with the lack of conversation "You can tell your friends to come out of the tunnel, they are already surrounded" he waved his hand in the direction of the hiding place of the others

Damien glanced back to see the other three being pushed from the tunnel, Markos looked like he was going to rip someone apart, his mouth snarling at the women who pushed at him, forcing him and the others into the open, Hazel and Annabeth being dragged along behind him. And soon the cavern was filled with female guards, all pointing their weapons at the demigods

Reyna kept her eyes locked on the shadowy figure "You are Thamyris" she said aloud

The figure stepped out of the shadows and into the torch light, Reyna's eyes widened as she took in his appearance, a deep scar was torn across his throat, still angry and red like it was still healing and where his eyes should have been were dark pits of emptiness, more scars surround his lids. They must have been his punishment from Apollo, Reyna didn't think it would be so literal, the gods had powers to punish people, but this… this was done with anger

"Yes" he smiled, his pale skin pulling tight over his bone structure "I don't believe we have had the pleasure Miss…?"

"Reyna Ramirez Arellano" she answered bluntly "Daughter of the war goddess Bellona, Praetor of the twelfth legion of Camp Jupiter" she stated

"Ah, Roman" he still had a slight smile on his face "I should have known from your voice, strong, authoritive undertones, forgive me as you can see my eyes are not what they used to be" his smile faded as he gestured to the black holes

"Release her" Reyna ordered, getting back to the task at hand

"No" he replied simply "A debt needs to be paid, you and your friends have one chance to leave and between you and I, I would take it, there will not be a second Praetor Ramirez Arellano"

"Not without Euterpe" Reyna countered "The world of mortals and gods depend on it"

Thamyris sighed heavily "I really hoped you wouldn't have said that" he clicked his fingers and the women guards with weapons surrounded the group, forcing them tighter together "Take the men to the dungeons" he ordered

"Just kill them now" echoed a new voice, this one gruffer than Thamyris

Damien turned his eyes to the new comer, this guy was shorter, almost the same height as Hazel, he had curly horns protruding from his hair and shaggy goat-like legs with hooves that tapped across the icy ground, what had Reyna called them at Camp Jupiter… Fauns? This must have been the guy who had set the magical traps

"Marsyas don't be so brash" Thamyris scolded him

Marsyas shot him a dangerous look "Brash? They have come to foil what we have planned, they have gotten this far, just get rid of them now and be done with it"

"No, I have an interest with their leader" he turned his head slightly in the direction of the women "Separate the males from the females"

He smiled at Reyna "Come ladies, let's have a little chat" he bowed slightly and gestured for the guards the take the girls one way

"No!" Markos growled as he turned on the women guards but he was easily outnumbered and was disarmed, so too were Damien and the others.

Damien's golden eyes shot up to Reyna and locked with hers, he tried to take a step towards them but was held back by multiple hands, he strained against them but these women were stronger than they seemed, he needed to get to Reyna

He dropped his weight and kicked out at the guards legs, causing her to drop, he then rolled backwards and pulled out of the other grip, he flipped himself up onto his feet and bolted for Reyna who was being pulled away,

He was two feet from her when something hard struck the back of his head the force buckling his knees, dazed on the floor he looked up to see the faun standing over him,

"Nice try boy" he grunted

Damien was hauled to his feet again but his eyes couldn't focus properly for a moment, something warm trickling down the back of his neck, his head felt like lead, his eyes searched for Reyna

"Reyna" but he was already being dragged backwards away from her, he could hear Markos grunting, still trying to break free. Damien watched until Reyna was taken out of view, her eyes still watching him.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Damien and Markos were thrown into a smaller ice cave by the guards and a portcullis was dropped shut, Markos instantly leapt to his feet and slammed into the metal obstruction, he then attempted to lift it but even as his large arms strained, the portcullis didn't budge

"Come help me" he demanded, casting a glance back at Damien who was still sat on the floor

Damien got to his feet still feeling woozy and came to stand beside Markos, his hands gripping the cold metal, he took a deep breath trying to get the room to stop spinning

"One, two, three"

On three both men used all their strength to try and lift, but still it did not move, they tried a few more times before Markos roared in anger and kicked the metal

Damien didn't know what to do, so he stepped back giving the Greek some room, he took to looking around the cave, the ice on the walls were perfectly smooth, he took a seat on the cold floor, he wanted to sleep, but he knew that was just the head injury.

"You okay?" Markos grunted, casting a glance back to Damien even though he was still trying to break his way through the blockage

"Yer, just need a sec" his fingers went to the back of his skull, there was drying blood coating his hair "What hit me?" he asked not remembering any weapon in the faun's hand, but it still felt like something harder than a fist

Markos was now trying to use his shoulder as a battering ram but it was no use "That little goat-man kicked you" he replied bashing the portcullis once again

"Great, glad I asked" Damien felt like he was going to have a headache for days

Damien laid on his back to get the cold of the ice pressed against the wound on the back of his head, he looked up to the ceiling, that's when his eyes landed on a large crack above him in the middle of the room, he looked at it's dimensions, maybe it was big enough for him, maybe it led somewhere, or maybe he was just suffering with a concussion.

After a couple of minutes of laying on the floor Damien's sight returned to normal and the room stopped tilting, he stood carefully taking a closer look at the gap in the ceiling, it looked a little lighter up there, the light could only come through a gap or a thinner layer of ice, either one seemed a better option than trying to break through metal.

"Hey Markos" he called but the big guy was too busy, trying to kick his way through the ice, cursing in hat Damien assumed was Greek

"Markos" he repeated a little louder

This time he turned to face Damien, anger clear on his face "What?" he asked, obviously trying not to take it out on Damien.

Damien pointed upwards, Markos's eyes followed and he came to stand under it, gauging it

"It's not very big" he said sourly

"Maybe for you" Damien gestured to his broad shoulders "Never know till we try, right?"

Markos thought for a moment longer before nodding "Worth a try" he replied linking his fingers together for Damien, the smaller guy took a deep breath and placed his foot in his hands

"One, Two, Three"

Damien was launched upwards, as he approached the crack he, kept his limbs by his side, once he was inside he jammed his elbows outwards, essentially wedging himself into the icy gap. He grunted in pain as his elbows cracked against the hard surface, his legs dangling freely, he groaned in pain

"You good?" Markos asked, hearing noises of discomfort

"Yer" Damien lied, he took a moment before attempting to swing his legs, he had almost made it when the momentum caused his elbows to slip on the smooth ice and he hurtled towards the ground, his back smashing against the ice, knocking the wind out of him

"Crap" he breathed, he took a couple of deep breaths before sitting up, holding his arm to his chest, he had definitely damaged something

"Well there goes that plan" Markos muttered his anger seeming to rise again "We need to get out of here"

Damien shook his head, getting to his feet "No… I can do it" he prepared himself again "C'mon" he said when Markos didn't move

The big guy sighed and returned to his position, again Damien launched himself up into the ceiling, his elbows taking a beating again. But he had learnt from his last mistake, he hoisted his feet up into the gap and got himself into a position where one leg was braced against one side while the other countered it on the other.

He took a moment, testing out his arms, he had definitely injured his left elbow but at this moment in time that was the least of his concerns, Reyna and the others were trapped somewhere in this ice palace and he needed to find them.

He began to push himself up, further into the tight space and it was getting smaller and smaller, Damien had to adjust his legs to try and sneak through the gap. He reached up with his arms, trying to find out exactly where this crack led to, his breath leaving a fog in the air.

"How's it going?" called Markos, he couldn't see Damien that well anymore, which he took as a sign of progress, his foot tapping nervously as he glanced out of the bars to check that no one was coming

"Yer… just a little snug" Damien called back as his face scraped against the ice, the cold surface tight around his chest, he continued to squeeze his body through, he could feel the space becoming more horizontal, which made it a little bit easier to manoeuvre, he didn't have to worry about falling now, but the restricted space was only getting narrower, it was a good thing he wasn't claustrophobic, although he was considering it now.

Damien's hands began to shake slightly with the cold, his core temperature was dropping with being stuck in an icy sandwich, he could see light through thinner ice ahead of him, he tried to push against it, but it didn't budge, he was beginning to feel numb, his brain starting to shut down, it was so cold.

He took a shaky breath before launching his fist into the ice, thankful that he couldn't feel his fingers, otherwise this would hurt, he thought to himself as he launched his fist into the ice again, there was a slight fracturing to the frozen water now, red smears across the white ice

"One more" Damien said aloud, forcing his brain to focus as he punched again… he was almost through, two deep breaths, he clenched his fist, ignoring the blood that was covering his knuckle

Crack,

Damien said a silent prayer that it was the ice making the noise and not the bones in his hand, but he was through, he waited for a moment listening for any sounds but he heard none, slowly he pulled himself out of the tunnel and into some other corridor of ice, he pushed himself to his feet, he couldn't rest here.

He looked down the long expanse of iced corridors, both looking identical "Crap" he muttered

He had no idea where he was in the ice palace, nor how to get back to the dungeon area to release Markos

"Left or right" he whispered to himself as he looked down either way

A noise from the right had him decided as he hurried left and away from the noise, he did not just almost get turned into an popsicle to be caught straight away, but most of all he could not let Reyna down, she was still here somewhere, he knew she could handle herself, as could the other girls, but still he couldn't just sit around and wait, while she was locked away.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Reyna, Annabeth and Hazel were stripped of their weapons and taken along the corridor following Thamyris

"Greeks and Romans working together" Thamyris mused aloud, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked along in front of them "Wouldn't have been like that back in my day" He chuckled slightly

He turned his head back towards them, Reyna looking into the dark holes where his eyes once were, she wondered if he could actually see her somehow of if he was using his other senses to pinpoint where she was.

"So tell me Praetor Reyna Ramirez Arellano"

She hated the way he said her name, like it was something that he wanted in his possession

"How does it come to be that you are working with the Grecians?" he asked as he turned into a large room, he gestured for the women to go ahead first, a horrid smile crossing his lips

Reyna kept herself composed even though she felt unnerved by being unarmed and surrounded by enemies, separated from half her group, but she held her tongue from demands until she knew more

"We settled our differences" she answered bluntly "And when the world is threatened we work together"

Thamyris exhaled, Reyna could imagine him rolling his eyes, if he had any. He snapped his fingers and the guards dragged the three of them to the awaiting table, it looked out of place within the icy cavern, it was ornate, candles lit upon it. they were sat in the large chairs one on each side of the table as Thamyris took his place at the head of it.

"Very interesting Praetor" he leant towards her "You seem very advanced knowledgably for such a young age, very impressive" he inhaled deeply

Reyna looked towards Annabeth who was gazing between the two of them, her grey eyes slightly wide as she realised the same thing the other two girls, Thamyris was flirting with Reyna

A noise from the corridor had all eyes turning to see a few of the guards walking in with trays, plates of food upon them. Annabeth shot Reyna a look as a plate and goblet was set down in front of each of them, Thamyris sat back and pulled a napkin and placed it across his lap, picking up his fork ad tucking into his meal.

Reyna glanced around the room, they were still out numbered, they had given her a knife for her food but she doubted she could take it without someone noticing, or use it before they would take it from her

"Please eat" Thamyris proposed to the girls

"Where are my comrades?" she countered, not touching her food, Hazel and Annabeth followed suit, both sitting back in their chairs and carefully watching their surroundings

"Let's just enjoy our meal" he suggested, his jaw clenching a little

Reyna crossed her arms "Where are Damien and Markos?" she demanded

Suddenly Thamyris slammed down is cutlery violently "Is it so much to ask for a pleasant meal with some polite company" he exhaled and took a deep breath, calming himself down, patting his napkin to the corners of his mouth delicately

"Forgive my outburst" he smiled towards Reyna "I have been known to lose my temper every now and again"

Silence hung in the air, Thamyris waited for Reyna to speak, waiting for her forgiveness

"THAMYRIS!"

The faun entered through the door, red in the face and looking like he was going to kill everyone in the room himself

"What is it now Marsyas?" Thamyris asked impatiently

The faun came to stand by his chair, glowering at him "You are having dinner with them now?" he demanded "Have you completely lost sight of our goals here, they are trying to stop us, kill them now and be done with this stupid charade"

Thamyris stood slowly, he turned to face Marsyas "It's called good manners, and not that it is any of your business but I have a proposition for these young ladies" he tilted his head slightly as if listening to something "You will still have your revenge, no need to threat, now if you will excuse me" he waved his hand signalling Marsyas that this conversation was over

The faun mumbled something in ancient Greek and stormed off

"You must excuse my acquaintance ladies, he holds no love for the gods or demigods for that matter" Thamyris chuckled darkly, "But he is only here because I allow him to be and won't trouble you as long as I deem it so"

He went back to enjoying his meal but looked up when he realised that none of the others were eating, he gently placed down his knife and fork, clearing his throat

"I find it a little rude that you are refusing to eat the meal I had prepared for you as my guests" he spoke through a tightened jaw, trying to keep his anger to a minimum

"Guests?" Reyna asked "I wouldn't exactly call us guests as we are being kept against our will, surrounded by armed guards"

Thamyris took two long deep breaths, his voice lower this time "Considering the circumstances of our meeting can you blame me for making sure my plan is safe" he sat back in his chair and smiled round at the girls "Have I not made you comfortable ladies, offering you food before our business commences"

"What business?" asked Annabeth "Do you wish to surrender to us?" she folded her arms across her chest, she like Reyna were concerned of where Damien and Markos had been taken to and if they were unharmed

He barked out a cold forced laugh "I didn't catch you name young one but you have fire and I enjoy that in a companion"

Annabeth fell silent, Reyna staring at the blinded man, Hazel looked a little repulsed

"What?"

"My proposition to you, well you three" he gestured around the table "I will let you live if you agree to my term, one of which is to serve me in my new world and kneel before me as my loyal subjects" his words echoed around the hall

"Never" the three said in union

Reyna leant forward "Now you have your answer, tell me what you have done with my comrades" her voice low and full of power

Thamyris's fists clenched on the table


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Damien stayed low and crept along, staying close to the icy wall, keeping his injured hand held close to his chest, he had taken a chunk of the ice from the shattered wall and held it to his knuckle to stop the swelling, he was also hoping that it might come in handy as a heavy weapon that he could crack over someone's head if need be

He hoped that if he kept moving then something would seem familiar to him and he could find his way back to Markos, he would need his help to find and release the girls. But so far nothing jumped out at him, the noise behind him had stopped which he took as a good sign, but he couldn't relax, not when he and the others were trapped in here.

He came to another fork in his path, he need to make a decision, if he turned the wrong way he could run into one of those women with swords, normally he wouldn't mind running into beautiful women but in this situation he knew it would only end badly.

"Go right Damien"

Damien whirled around looking for the source of the voice, it sounded like it was coming from right beside him, but no one was there, great now he was going insane

"Go now" the disembodied voice demanded, it was deep and slightly menacing "There isn't time, go Damien"

Damien didn't know what or who it was but he didn't have anything else to go on, he went right and followed the corridor down, coming to the entrance to the dungeon, he silently thanked the voice that was in his head and moved into the open space eyes instantly finding his and Markos's weapons, he grabbed them and moved further in.

The coast was clear so he moved to the cell door that he had shared with Markos, the big guy was still pacing back and forth in frustration, occasionally looking back up at the crack in the ceiling where Damien had disappeared from a while ago.

"Hey" Damien whispered as he came into view, moving to the portcullis

Markos strode right up to the gate "You made it" he seemed a little surprised, obviously he didn't think much of Damien's potential, not that the son of Letus could blame him "Now get me out of here" he demanded

Damien nodded and began looking for how to open the portcullis, he hadn't seen what the women did to closed it, he was a little busy picking his face off of the ice with a banging headache.

"The sirens were over on that side" Markos said pointing towards the left side,

Damien moved over and kept searching "Sirens?" he asked, pretty sure that the Greek didn't mean the things on top of a fire truck that flashed

"They are monsters, used to lure sailors from ships in the ancient times" Markos answered impatiently, he was eager to be released "Apollo must have pissed them off too if they are here willingly helping Thamyris"

"Those women are monsters?" he asked not thinking they were that bad looking, not like the empousa he had seen last summer with her flaming hair and donkey leg

"Yes, not all monsters are hideous" Markos said "Now stop yapping and get me out of here"

"Would it kill you to say please?" Damien muttered under his breath as he continued his search

"I can still hear you" Markos growled back

"Okay just give me a sec, the walls looked smooth, no latch or lever… nothing" Damien ran his hands along the ice, looking for any signs of… well anything "You sure they were over here"

"It might be magically hidden" Markos suggested "Does anything feel off to you, take a breath and focus on one spot, let your instincts guide you"

Damien looked at the wall confused as hell, how was his instincts supposed to find something his eyes could not see, but he did what Markos asked of him and he took a step back, inhaling deeply he focused as best he could.

He didn't know what he was supposed to be feeling but then something pulled at him, it freaked him out a little but he went with it, his hand landing on the smooth surface in front of him, his fingers lingering on something, a slight groove in the otherwise flawless ice.

He hooked his fingers in it and pulled at it, it came away easily from the wall, as he did so the metallic portcullis lifted and Markos was ducking under it instantly and going to the entrance, he peered round the corner

"C'mon we need to find the others" he whispered quickly, he grabbed his swords from Damien

Damien hurried to his side and together they made their way through the maze of ice, Damien following Markos's lead, trusting that he had a better sense of things. They moved silently down the winding ice corridors, they could hear sounds around them, echoing through the halls, Damien gripped his sword tight, it making him feel a little more comfortable at least to have a weapon in his hand.

"Skatá" Markos muttered angrily "Annabeth would know which way to go"

"You really love her don't you?" Damien said, seeing the pained look in Markos's green eyes

The Greek nodded slowly, he kept his eyes on the hallway "I need to find her, I lost her once already and I am not going to let it happen again" he paused for a moment and looked at the younger man "And by the look in your eyes you feel the same way about your Praetor"

Damien dropped his gaze, feeling the pit in his stomach

"I also know that look" continued Markos after a moment of inspecting Damien features "I have had that same look in my eye before… don't give up, fight for what you love, or otherwise what is it we are fighting for?" he placed a hand on Damien shoulder

"Never give up Roman"

Damien nodded, but still the feeling in his stomach did not stop, Reyna had made it clear that she would put her duty above all else

"Come on let's keep moving, we can't be far off now" Markos continued moving slowly down the hall, they had to pause in a couple of places when they heard footsteps, their progress being slowed and Damien was certain that they had gone round in at least one circle

Soon they could hear new voices, familiar voices

"Annabeth" Markos breathed

Markos was about to move forward when Damien's ears picked up a male's voice and he grabbed the Greek's arm, holding him back, causing the big guy to glare down at him

"They are not alone" Damien muttered under his breath "Listen"

After a moment Markos heard it too, a deep voice talking, they couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but his voice was calm and low, Damien thought that it could be Thamyris, he seemed calm even when they broke into his ice palace.

Markos was itching to step closer, to hear what was being said, he strained his ears

"Consider my offer Miss Ramirez" he said in a calculating voice "I will call on you again later, after you have had some time to think over my generous proposition"

Footsteps started, coming closer towards the two men, Markos waved them back, and as they scooted down the corridor and just out of view when Thamyris walked passed with two sirens by his side, he paused for a moment, the holes where his eyes should have been turning to face down the hallway the two young demigods had just hidden down, Damien held his breath, no eyes meant he couldn't see, right?

He prayed that the same logic would apply in the mythical world as it would in the human world, another beat and Thamyris carried on his way and their footsteps faded down the icy corridor.

The two waited for another moment to pass before carefully making their way to where they had heard the others. Markos peered round the corner to see a well-lit cavern with furniture and food laid out on the table and the three girls sat around it, he was about to move when he saw two more figures lurking in the shadows.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"They're in there, but they are not alone" Markos whispered "We need a plan, they will have weapons where as we have not"

Damien nodded, he waited for the more experienced guy to come up with the plan, but he soon realised that Markos was waiting for him, both men staring at each other as if they held the answers

"Why are you looking at me?" Damien asked quietly

Markos shrugged "Figured you'd have an idea"

"Why me? Why not you?" he responded "You have more experience than I do"

Markos exhaled rubbing the back of his neck "Annabeth always comes up with the plans, she's the brains, I'm just the... Brute force" he admitted

"Right" Damien nodded again, his mind blank "Well, there are four of them and they have the girls"

"Maybe we can rush them" Markos suggested "Take them down before they can really react"

Damien thought for a moment, a prediction running through his mind, he could see the two of them rushing in and while Markos might survive, he was probably going to be skewered as soon as they saw him, save to say he wasn't thrilled with that idea.

"Maybe a distraction would be better, try and separate them from the girls" he countered proposed

Markos thought for a moment before nodding "What distraction did you have in mind?"

A dangerous look crossed Damien's golden eyes "Just promise me you'll get them out"

"Huh"

But it was too late, Damien had already leapt out in front of the entrance, shown himself for the whole room to see, the sirens screeched in alarm as they saw the prisoner out of his cell. He momentarily locked eyes with Reyna, shock on her face as she watched Damien appear, the guards heading to apprehend him

"Oh crap" he feigned shock before bolting down the opposite corridor at high speeds, the sirens in hot pursuit, too busy focusing on Damien that they totally bypassed Markos hidden by the entrance, he waited until they were gone before entering the room.

Shock filled all of the girl's faces

"Can't believe that worked" he muttered as he moved towards Annabeth

"Markos" Annabeth couldn't help but smile at seeing her love standing before her "You're okay"

He rounded the table to release her first, pulling her up into an embrace and a quick kiss before moving to release the other two

Reyna stood instantly and turned on the big guy "What the hell is Damien doing?" she demanded as she retrieved her weapons from where they had been left by the sirens

Markos shrugged, obviously stunned by her outburst "I don't know, it was his plan" he defended himself "He said 'distraction' and bolted"

Reyna turned anger and concern clear on her features "Of course he did" she sighed, shaking her head "We have to go after him" she stalked out of their icy suite and down the corridor that Damien and the sirens had disappeared down, the others followed her, all sharing the same look, Damien was going to be in trouble if he survived long enough.

She was furious with him, Damien still did not think like a Roman, he allowed his emotions to govern his actions and he was constantly diving head long into danger without thinking things through. And now he was possibly recaptured by the sirens… or worse, she didn't want to think like that, she knew that he was fast, but was he fast enough to out run the angered sirens. She hoped so.

The four of them followed the corridor, they could hear people running around but none could make out if it was Damien or not, she took the charging footsteps as a good sign, if they had caught him then they wouldn't be running around.

They turned a corner and ran straight into a couple of sirens, they turned and screeched at the four demigods, readying their weapons, the pair advanced on the group, they were humming as they stalked towards them. Markos and Reyna stood closest and they backed away from the sharp blade points on the end of their spears, they had the advantage of extended reach, Reyna trying to work a way around the sirens, but she knew that these were skilled fighters, but so was she.

Her thought was interrupted when something fell from the ceiling and crashed onto the two sirens, they all crumpled to the ground, one sprung up instantly, whirling around to face them, a goofy grin plastered on his face, his golden eyes aglow

"Hey" Damien exhaled, sweat dripping from his forehead

Reyna's eyes were glued on him, she didn't even see the sirens beginning to move, not until Markos lunged forward and grabbed Damien and the weapons, Reyna's instincts took over as her brain focused on the enemies, she pushed Damien so that he was behind her and Markos with the girls. She may have pushed him a little too hard as he stumbled into Hazel but she was angry with him right now, so she decided to take it out on the sirens, she stepped forward and swiped a large ark at the monsters, both disintegrating into dust.

"Whoa" breathed Damien

There was a beat of silence before Reyna's anger got the better of her,

"And as for you" she spun to face Damien, fire in her eyes, the blade pointing at him "What the hell were you thinking, going unarmed against sirens, has Koalemos been messing with your head" she raged, she took a step forward

Damien started to back away, taken aback by Reyna's tone "I… I didn't-

"No you didn't think, you never think about the consequences of you actions" she lowered her sword before jabbing her finger into his chest "Never think of the repercussions, what other people would go through if you got yourself killed" Reyna cut herself off, she had said too much in the heat of the moment.

She dropped her gaze, exhaling her anger, after a moment she looked up at the others, avoiding Damien's gaze

"We need to keep moving" she stated, turning on her heels and stalking down the corridor "They will know we are free now"

"Reyna" Annabeth hurried after her, grabbing her arm, but the Praetor pulled away and continued round the corner

Damien stood there stunned, he closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, yet again he had hurt Reyna. A hand came down on his shoulder, he looked up to see Markos

"Come on" he said, a slight pity look in his eyes

Damien nodded and they made their way after the three girls, feeling like a jerk, he had only wanted to get them out of here, he had gone with the only option he had.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Reyna had a better sense of direction then Markos had and she was able to lead them quietly through the maze of ice corridors to where the massive cavern was, Euterpe's sorrow filled melody still echoing all around them as she stood in the room, unmoving apart from her singing.

They had stopped in the shadows, Reyna peered round the corner, taking in the numbers and positions of the sirens that guarded, the faun was still there, what had Thamyris called him? Marsyas. The name didn't ring any bells with her

"Annabeth do you know who Marsyas is? Or why he has so many sirens at his disposal?" she whispered turning to the blonde

She thought for a moment, the catalogue in her brain sorting through all of the things she knew, it was always a marvel at how much the daughter of Athena could remember, but then again Athena was the goddess of wisdom, a good memory was a requirement

"Marsyas challenged Apollo, he was judged by the Muses" her eyes saddened as she recalled the rest of the tale "He was skinned alive as a punishment and imprisoned in a tree, Apollo humiliated him and left him on show as a reminder not to challenge a god" her grey eyes flickered to Markos, who looked even more tense than usual.

Reyna also glanced at the large Greek, understanding his anger

"Guess he got out somehow" Markos grumbled, moving the conversation on, not wanting to linger on the moment

"And the sirens?" Reyna asked

Annabeth peered round to see the sirens, they looked like the beautiful women they were referred to in modern tales but she knew that they were missing one crucial feature

"They sang in a competition against the Muses, they lost and for their punishment they had their wings ripped from their bodies"

"They like their punishments" Damien muttered, all eyes turned to him "It just sounds like the gods are just as bad as Thamyris" he shrugged shyly, with the other four watching him

Reyna turned back, her mind coming up with a plan, she could see another entrance to the cavern on the other side, if they could attack from both sides then they would stand a better chance of fighting the group of sirens and Marsyas.

She turned back to the group "There is an opening on the other side of the cavern, if a couple of us can get around there then we can attack from both sides"

Annabeth nodded "Markos and I can go round, we know each others fighting styles"

Reyna reached out and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder "Be careful and wait for my signal"

"You too" then she leant in and whispered something to the Praetor

Damien noticed the knowing in her deep brown eyes, he wondered what she had said to her, but he also knew that Reyna was not going to repeat the words.

Annabeth nodded to Damien and Hazel before creeping off with Markos, they disappeared round the corner, now all the trio could do was wait, wait while they were surrounded by enemies, Reyna didn't know if they were aware that they had escaped from their imprisonment, but she had a feeling that was the reason that the Muse was now so well guarded.

"So"

Damien's voice took her attention

"What is the plan?" he asked

Reyna didn't look at him directly, her eyes fixed on the cavern, keeping an eye on the sirens and especially Marsyas who was watching the cavern carefully, no doubt waiting for the demigods to try and free Euterpe

"You stay behind me and Hazel, no running off, you do as we say" she ordered

Damien shifted closer towards Reyna "Reyna, I may not be much of a fighter but I have other skills, use me, don't leave me behind"

Deep brown eyes met his, he could still see the anger in her, but also the hurt

"You are reckless Damien" she whispered "You say you will follow my command but then you let your heart govern your actions and not you head, Romans need to follow orders"

"Give me orders and I will follow them" he swore "Just don't ask me to hide while the rest of you fight"

Reyna held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away, Damien closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to keep himself calm, Reyna was right, she always was, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him, choosing what he believed was the right thing to do

There was a long moment of silence before Hazel gave Reyna a look, before nodding towards Damien who was staring at the ground, Reyna sighed

"There is a siren on a ledge" she finally said "Disarm her, take her down, then get behind me and Hazel and stay out of trouble, don't take on anything or anyone you cannot handle, this isn't the war games"

She turned to face Damien, he nodded at her smiling a little

"Thank you Reyna" he squeezed her forearm comfortingly

Reyna could feel warmth flooding through her arm, she swallowed ignoring the closeness of their positions, but even she couldn't deny that she liked being close to him, but this was nor the time nor the place for this right now.

She returned to watching the cavern, keeping a close eye on the tunnel on the other side of the icy space, waiting and silently praying to see the blonde, she kept reminding herself that Annabeth was smart and strong, as was Markos, they would make it.

She watched as a couple more sirens entered from where Annabeth was supposed to be, she began to worry before realising that if they had been caught then they would have been dragged into the cavern or more sirens would have been called to recapture them, they were still alive.

Not a moment later she caught sight of a flash of golden hair from the other side of the cavern, she made eye contact and held her hand up in a signal to standby, she turned back to Hazel and Damien

"They are in position, there are three sirens directly in front of us, Marsyas is by Euterpe, Hazel you and I will attack them from behind" she explained in a hush voice

Hazel nodded readying her spartha

Reyna turned her attention to Damien "You get up to that siren on the ledge, take her down, be careful"

Damien nodded and leant around Reyna, getting a little closer to her than he meant to as he checked out the route he would have to take to get up to the ledge, the siren had a bow in her hand and a quiver on her back, it would take her a couple of seconds to notch an arrow, that should give him enough time to at least get up to the ledge, taking her down would be an entirely different ball game.

"Okay" he said moving back, catching the look in Reyna's eyes "I should be able to get up there" he gave her a small comforting smile

Reyna nodded "Don't take too many risks" she looked at both of them but Damien knew that she was directing it at him, he did have a bad history with not thinking things through entirely

"Let's move"


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Reyna signalled, then the three of them burst from their hiding place, across the cavern Reyna could see Annabeth and Markos doing the same, the large Greek barrelling like a football player into a couple of sirens, taking them down, Annabeth took a more subtle approach but was just as effective.

Damien bolted towards the wall, using his momentum to launch himself up the wall, stretching his limbs as far as they would go to get the most height before pushing himself off the icy wall and towards the ledge, his hands latching onto the edge as the siren turned, shrieking as she did, warning the others,

Damien hauled himself up as she took an arrow, what Damien didn't plan on was that she began to use it as a blade rather than an arrow, he dodged her initial attack, but she was fast and thrusted it at him, his instincts took over as she went for his throat, he threw out his hand as the tip embedded itself into his palm rather than his jugular.

He hissed in pain and kicked out, knocking her off balance, just enough time to yank the arrow from his hand before she was trying to attack him again, swiping another arrow towards him, he ducked and sliced at her leg with the arrow tip, making the siren screech in pain, the sound ran through his brain like nails down a chalkboard, he felt as though his brain was being pierced with needles but he stayed focused.

Damien jabbed upward with his fist, connecting with her jaw, forgetting that he had injured his knuckle earlier from punching his way through an icy wall, he gasped in pain and retracted his hand, giving the siren the opening to attack, she responded by clawing at his face, he felt the bite of her talons on his skin, tearing it, but he couldn't get distracted by it before she lashed out again, he dropped his entire body the to the floor, scissor kicking her legs so she toppled down with him, he took the arrow again from her leg and with all his force, jammed it into her black eye.

A scream echoed as she crumbled into dust, the force of the sound pushing against him, he shook his head as the ringing in his ears began, he could feel something warm trickling down from his ear, that with the claws marks down his face proved that he wasn't the greatest of fighters but he was still alive.

He didn't have time to celebrate his victory as the rest of the world came into focus, he looked out across the cavern, seeing the others fighting against the sirens, his eyes instantly going to Reyna as she pirouetted slicing through the throat of a siren, it tumbled into non-existence, she didn't pause as she took on another, what she didn't see was Marsyas walking up behind her, something in his hand, Damien couldn't see what exactly it was but he was going straight for Reyna

You never think things through

Her words echoed through his mind as he stood, his mind thinking through the situation, he stood, the sirens bow in his hand, arrow in his bloodied hand as he notched it, pulling back on the string, ignoring the pain in his hand as he aimed for the faun, who was too distracted with Reyna to notice Damien, he took a breath before releasing the arrow, it flew through the air, it was slightly off target seen as Damien was aiming for his head, the arrow brushed his ribs, but still it was enough for him to falter, he growled allowed angry eyes searching for the source of the arrow, his glare finally landing on Damien.

Reyna spun at the noise, seeing the injured faun, she quickly glanced up seeing Damien standing there, bow in hand, blood covering his feature but he was alive and that made her heart leap, she then went on the offensive not giving Marsyas a chance to compose himself, putting the faun on the back foot, he removed his hand from his ribs, ignoring the blood that dripped to the floor, he backed away from the Praetor.

Damien wiped his brow, pulling his hand away, to see his skin smeared with blood, the siren's talons had ripped through his skin, he could feel four long open wounds across his face. He shook his head ignoring the pain, he took the bow in his hand again and fired arrows towards more sirens that invaded the space, his accuracy wasn't close enough to kill any of them but at least he could slow them down, he just made sure that he wasn't aiming too close to any of his friends.

Something caught his eye, something or someone moving in the shadows near Reyna, Damien wiped more blood from his eyes, clearing his vision but only slightly, there was someone down there with Reyna, a glint of metal flashed as Thamyris stepped from the shadows, he was facing Reyna.

Damien dropped the bow, he was out of arrows and Thamyris was getting closer and closer to Reyna, he focus on the battle with the faun,

His golden eyes took in the scene before his injured body's instincts kicked in and he leapt from the high icy balcony, his body hurtling towards the ground between Thamyris and Reyna's back, his feet hit first sending a shockwave of pain up his leg as he rolled, the ice causing him to slide a little but he recovered quickly and drew his sword on Thamyris, he cast a quick glance to Reyna, she nodded to him.

Damien's eyes fell onto the being in front of him, taking deep breaths to deal with the pain that echoed through his body, his sword hand shook slightly with his injury, why did he have to use his right hand with the ice earlier?

"It's such a shame" Thamyris said, looking past Damien to Reyna "I was going to spare you, only the men needed to die, but alas you have become a thorn in my side" he shrugged, then lunged for Damien, blade out stretched

Damien blocked clumsily, his hand flaring up in pain as the metal blades connected, he made the decision and swapped sword hands, using his left instead which made him slower, he only hoped he could hold out long enough for Reyna to defeat Marsyas. This guy was strong and speedy, Damien could barely keep up with the attacks, not to mention continually wiping the blood from his eyes, he could hear Reyna battling Marsyas behind him.

Damien's body was beginning to tire as he continued his defensive movements, his arm slowing and Thamyris knew it, a smile creeping over his face, how the hell did a blind guy fight like this

"You are not long for this world boy" he sneered "Your mortal body is failing you"

Damien hit back harder, unconsciously blocking Reyna with his body

A knowing look crossed the blind man's face "My eyes may have been taken but even I can see your feelings for this girl"

Damien slashed at Thamyris, his temper getting the better of him and with his mistake Thamyris swung, catching Damien's outstretched arm and slicing deep, his blade clattering on the floor, then in one swift move Thamyris grabbed and twisted his arm, placing his own sword around Damien's neck, pressing hard enough to pierce Damien's throat, but went no deeper, her was just holding him like a hostage, Damien silently cursed himself for being so careless

"Trust me on one thing" Thamyris muttered into Damien's ear "Love is a weakness"

His grip tightened around the demigod's throat as Damien gasped for air, his eyes on Reyna who was still battling Marsyas, unaware that he was in the grips of Thamyris

"Trying to keep your loved one safe even at the cost of your own life" he chuckled darkly "Foolish boy"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Reyna pushed back against Marsyas's attack, countering with one of her own, forcing the faun further and further back. A clattering behind her caught her attention, but she couldn't turn, not with the faun still attacking, she knew that Damien was behind her, and her heart told her to turn, to make sure he was okay, but her mind knew that it would put her and possibly Damien in jeopardy, so she continued to fight.

She kicked out at Marsyas and it sent him flying backwards, tumbling down hard onto the icy floor, now was her moment to turn, check on Damien, she spun, sword ready

Her eyes landed on Damien in a choke hold, his skin now turning purple as Thamyris prevented him from getting air, sword to his throat, his golden brown eyes watching her, blood trickling down his face, with four large claw marks running across his features, Thamyris's blade pointing into the skin of his neck another blood trail falling from there

"Damien" she breathed

"At first this was fun" stated Thamyris "But now I have grown bored of you Praetor"

His grip tightened before hauling Damien to his feet, he then launched the demigod across the cavern with extreme force, Reyna watched in terror as Damien slammed into the icy wall, his body crumbling to the floor like a ragdoll, icy shards falling around him as he laid there motionless.

She leapt forward attacking Thamyris, a new fire in her chest as she swung her golden blade at him with anger

"I see the feelings go both ways" Thamyris called between the clashing of swords "This is going to be fun ripping him from your world"

He launched forwards and attempted to get around her defensive position and almost caught her leg, she blocked at the last second

"Or vice versa, imagine the pain that boy will go through if I were to cut you head from your shoulders young Praetor" he laughed maniacally "Or would you prefer his for you legion?"

Reyna caught movement from the corner of her eye and she glanced towards where Damien had fallen, she saw Markos pulling icy shards off of him, she pulled her eyes away, focusing back on Thamyris's attacks, she easily got the upper hand back again, Thamyris was an artist not a fighter.

Reyna's sword hit hard, she pushed down her anger and focused on her technique, she could beat him as long as she kept her head on straight, she used her moment to spin mid-air, slicing down hard, the force shattering Thamyris's blade, she landed perfectly on her feet and pointed the end of her blade at Thamyris's throat, he raised his hands in surrender but there was a smile creeping over his face

Flute music reached Reyna's ears, a soft melody, but this wasn't just music, it was a spell, faun magic… Marsyas

Reyna turned to see the faun, pan flute in hand as icy blue tendrils sped towards her, twisting through the air, Reyna raised her sword even though she knew it was useless, she had no defence against this form of attack

Somewhere she could hear her name being called, it echoing around the icy fortress, she closed her eyes making a silent pray to her mother to protect her friends.

She accepted her fate.

Pain surged through her side and she felt herself falling, her body collapsing onto the ground hard, but the pain was over and she could still feel the ground beneath her, confusion flooded her, surely she should feel nothing

"DAMIEN!" Hazel screamed

At the sound of his name Reyna opened her eyes, she was sprawled out on the floor, looking up she saw Damien, looking down at her, reaching out for her, hand outstretched, pain etched on his damaged face, teeth clenching

There was a crackling sound and Reyna watched in horror as Damien's lower half was being encased in blue ice that was making its way slowly up his body, freezing him instantly, his feet were already frozen in place, his golden eyes filled with pain, his body seizing up

"Damien?" she breathed, leaping to her feet, reaching for him, taking his hand in her own, his usually warm skin now icy to the touch "Oh gods, what did you do?" her voice crack as she looked at him

"S-sorry Reyna" his voice strained in pain "But I thought this one through" he attempted a smile as ice made its way up his over his chest, he choked as the air was pulled from his lungs

She watched as tears escaped from his lashes,

"You shouldn't have" she blinked back her own tears

Damien coughed out a laugh "Stup- stupid emotions… right-t…" he gasped as the ice closed around his throat

"Damien…" Reyna squeezed his fingers, she needed to tell him, but she couldn't find the words "Damien I… I"

"I know" was the last thing he said before the ice covered his features, freezing him in place, his features contorted in pain

She didn't tell him, she had waited too long to tell him, now he was gone, taken from her

Reyna watched as the ice proceeded to make it's way along his outstretched arm and towards her hand

"Reyna let go" Annabeth appeared at her side, placing a hand on her arm "Reyna you got to let go or the magic will continue onto your body"

But it was like Reyna couldn't hear her, she just stared into Damien's now frozen eyes, the ice getting closer and closer towards her fingers

"REYNA!" Annabeth tugged her backwards, forcing the Praetor to release her grip on Damien

"NO!" she screamed as the last part of him froze over, she pushed the blonde away and scrambled back up to him, hands going to his face, the freezing temperature of the ice giving her hands freezer burn, but she didn't care as she looked into the once golden eyes

"Damien" she whispered, running a thumb along his cheek

A cackling sounded behind her, she tore her gaze away from Damien to see Thamyris on his knees, Markos's twin blades pressed against his throat, a smile on his face

"Shut up" growled Markos as he pressed the blade closer to Thamyris's throat

But still he laughed "True love strikes again, it's a painful feeling isn't it, to lose ones love" he nodded towards Damien "Well at least you have a nice statue to take back to your senate, a memento of our time together"

Something burned within Reyna's stomach, something she had never felt before as she glared at Thamyris and Marsyas knelt next to each other with weapons at their throats.

"You and I learnt the hard way, we are the same" Thamyris sneered

"Undo this" ordered Reyna, glaring down at the faun ignoring Thamyris's words

Marsyas snorted "This kind of magic can't be undone girl, nor would I if I could roman scum" he spat towards her "The more of you dead the better"

Thamyris laughed again, the cold sound echoed around the cavern

"He's gone forever Praetor!"

Reyna dropped her hands from Damien's face, she turned to the two knelt beings, something inside of her snapping, she drew her blade, going straight for the faun, he was the one who did this, she raised her blade

"Reyna" Annabeth caught her arm, stopping her from destroying them

The Praetor looked down at the blonde who shook her head, sorrow in her grey eyes

"Don't become like them" she whispered "It's not what Damien would have wanted"

Reyna dropped her head, she took a deep breath and sheathed her blade, she turned back to Thamyris and Marsyas

"Lady Moneta will decide you fate" she said before turning away from them and making her way back to Damien's frozen form, her heart feeling as cold as Damien

She took a deep breath before moving off to a corridor, taking a knee and praying to the titaness, letting her know their location and that they had the kidnappers under their guard, she prayed for the titaness to come to them swiftly and reclaim her daughter.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

It was a few moments before a blinding light erupted in the icy palace, Reyna shielded her eyes and then standing before them was the shining form of Moneta, her eyes landed on her daughter who was still singing to herself

"Go be with your sisters Euterpe, they need you" she ordered softly "Heal the rift in the world"

Euterpe looked towards her mother, she exhaled as if a weight had been taken from her shoulders, she nodded slowly, taking a deep breath

"Of course mother" she turned to Reyna and the other Demigods "Thank you young ones" she nodded before disappearing into a soft melody, the cavern became very quiet for a moment but it didn't last for long

Moneta then turned her gaze upon Thamyris, the room began to shake, icicles falling from the ceiling, her godly light was becoming brighter, her voice echoed through their minds

You went after my child

Thamyris and Maryas grimaced in pain, Thamyris putting a hand to his head

Reyna heared her voice as well but she imagined that the titaness was forcing her voice into their minds with quite some power

I remember you Thamyris, you challenged a god, Apollo no less, you left the man who loved you because of your ego, you are not worthy of anyone's love

Thamyris spat ancient obscenities at her

SILENCE!

Thamyris yelled out in pain and collapsed to the floor, hands going to either side of his head, blood streaming from the black holes where his eyes had once been

Reyna just watched on with a neutral expression on her face, she remained close to Damien, fearful that a falling shard would shatter the ice and therefore him. She kept her eyes fixed on the scene unfolding in front of her, if she looked back at Damien she might lose her calm façade, she was Praetor and she would not break in front of her enemies.

You belong in the depths of the underworld and I will send you back there and I will see that you are punished for what you have done

The two beings screamed as Moneta looked on, unleashing her full power onto them, Thamyris and Marsyas writhed in pain, Moneta was not letting them go lightly and to be truthful Reyna didn't want her to.

Another moment passed before the two of them exploded into dust, a small breeze blowing them away, Moneta turned to Reyna

"You have fulfilled you end Praetor" she said matter-of-factly, she turned away "I will send you back to your land"

"Lady Moneta" Reyna called out

The titaness turned to face her,

"Marsyas used faun magic to incapacitate me but…" she looked towards Damien's frozen form, she swallowed trying to keep her composure "Damien took the blast, without him we couldn't save your daughter"

"Ask what you want young Praetor" Moneta said impatiently

"Is there any way to get him back?" she asked feeling the sting of tears in her eyes, using all her control not to break in front of the titaness

Moneta came to stand beside him, she looked him over, placing a hand on his icy frame, Reyna watched them carefully, silently praying that he would gasp back to life

"It is not in my ability to bring him back" she said simply as if it were of no consequence

Reyna could feel her knees growing weak, she didn't want to accept that he was gone

"He sacrificed himself for his Praetor, it is the most honourable Roman way" Moneta said taking in Reyna's features

"I didn't want him to die" Reyna wiped away a tear that had escaped her lashes "I didn't even say…" she caught herself before she could say anymore

Moneta looked between the two of them

"He is not dead young Praetor"

Reyna looked up at the Titaness "What?"

"He is not dead, just frozen, perfectly preserved" Moneta turned away again "I will bring him with you if you so wish"

"Yes" Reyna said instantly "Please Lady Moneta" she remembered her position and the fact she was speaking to a being that was almost as old as time itself

"Very well"

There was a flash of brilliant light and Reyna found herself standing in the middle of Camp Jupiter, it must have been the middle of the night because the moon was out and there were hardly any campers around, she spun to see Damien, still frozen standing beside her, she then checked on her other companions, making sure they were all there.

Within a few seconds the Roman guard appeared, rushing over to the sudden appearance of people in the middle of camp, they lowered their weapons when they saw their Praetor standing there

"Praetor?" one said a little confused

Reyna raised herself to her full height, her commanding voice loud in the otherwise silent night

"Sam get this man to the medic's building immediately" she pointed towards Damien

The guards paused obviously unsure of why there was a guy frozen in ice in the middle of their camp

"Now" commanded Reyna

The guards jumped into action and surrounded Damien, it took them a moment to work out how to lift him, it took four of the larger guards to lift him onto their shoulders, Reyna lead them to the medic building, keeping a close eye on the frozen form, occasionally yelling at the guards to be more careful.

The sleepy girl behind the desk, jolted awake when Reyna and the others burst in carrying a huge humanoid lump of ice

"Get me Samson now" Reyna demanded

The blonde nodded and rushed off towards Samson's office

Reyna turned back to the guards still struggling to carry Damien

"Get him up to the infirmary, private room" she ordered

They nodded and began to make their way up the steps, Reyna was about to follow when Hazel caught her arm

"Reyna, be careful" her eyes tired as she glanced around "Word will reach the leaders of New Rome, especially if Toni contacts Caius and now she has her proof, you need to stay objective for both your sakes"

Reyna thought for a moment, knowing that Hazel was right, but as her eyes followed Damien's unmoving body, she could feel her heart being torn in two.

"I have to get ahead of this" Reyna said, mostly to herself, she looked back at the shorter demigod "Will you stay with him?" she asked, trusting only Hazel

She nodded "Of course"


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Reyna made her way to Samson's office, cornering him as he came out of the door

"Praetor, you have returned safely I'm glad to see" he said with a smile

"Thank you Samson, but I am afraid not all of us were so lucky" she kept her face composed "One of our companions was struck with faun magic, I have moved him into the private ward, I need to be kept updated with your findings"

Samson's medical brain was kicking in as he listened, he nodded "Of course Praetor" he moved off, rushing up the stairs

He may be a pain in the ass when he wanted something but Reyna knew he was the best healer in Camp Jupiter

Once Reyna was alone she leant against the wall taking a few deep breaths, she couldn't break down, not yet, she still had a lot of work to do. She once again composed herself and decided to make her way to New Rome to inform the council that the quest was successful and to tell them of Damien.

It was still dark outside as she made her was across the Sunflower fields, New Rome standing in front of her, she was trying to think of how to explain the reappearance of Damien after he disappear last year, essentially deserting the legion, she knew that the leaders would not like this, should she tell them that he had been in camp before they headed out on the quest? The fact that she lied to everyone about him

Desertion in the Roman legion was a serious crime and she feared for Damien, but maybe if she could talk to the leaders before anyone else she could somehow sway their decision.

She knew that was hopeful thinking, there had been a couple of desertions in her time as Praetor and she knew that it was never a simple or painless matter

She was now making her way through the streets of New Rome, the sky was getting a little lighter as she came to the principia a large white columned building, the purple flags hanging from the them, she took a deep breath and entered into the dauntingly large foyer

"Praetor Ramirez"

Reyna turned to see a middle aged man behind a marble desk

"I request an audience with the council" she said, making sure her posture was correct, they were sticklers for the old ways in New Rome

The man nodded and stood "Wait here Praetor, I will convene the council, is it in relation to Moneta's quest"

"It is sir" she said, taking a at ease posture as she waited patiently

She waited or about 15 minutes before the middle aged man reappeared

"They are waiting for you in the main hall Praetor Ramirez" he nodded to her

She thanked him and walked along the echoing corridor, she could feel her heart rate rising as she approached the door

She entered seeing the leaders of New Rome sitting at their large marble table, they all shared neutral expression apart from Caius, who was glaring at her, his pale eyes filled with loathing for the young Praetor

"Praetor Ramirez you have returned" Augustus greeted with a nod "Triumphantly I presume"

Reyna nodded "Yes sir, we were able to release the Muse and the Lady Moneta punished the kidnappers as she saw fit"

The older Roman nodded "Congratulations on a successful quest Praetor"

"You woke us in the early hours for this?" Caius glowered

Reyna paused for a moment "There is more"

Caius's eyes narrowed and he looked happy at Reyna's discomfort "Go on Praetor" he sneered slightly

Reyna swallowed, her palms growing sweaty

"Our third companion was Damien Blake"

Silence fell in the room

"Damien Blake" Caius was trying to hide his smile "The one who you wanted to join our legion and who deserted us after less than a fortnight"

"That is correct" Reyna felt her body growing colder

"You know what the penalty for deserting the Roman legion is, don't you Praetor" he didn't even bother to keep the joy from his voice anymore

"I do" she nodded "But if I may, he sacrificed himself to save me and defeat our enemies"

"So the boy is dead?" Augustus asked

Reyna thought about lying but by now she had no doubt that half the camp knew about the frozen man in the infirmary, she could not be caught out in a lie, especially not with Caius wanting her dismissed from her Praetorship

"Not exactly sir" she kept her voice an expression level "He was struck with faun magic and he is encased with ice, but the Lady Moneta has told me that he is still alive"

The council thought for a moment

"Where is he now?" Antonia asked

"The infirmary"

"Can he be woken?" she asked

"Samson is looking over him now" she decided to keep Moneta's prognoses to herself, knowing that the council would not care and pronounce him dead, Reyna needed Samson to find a cure, though she wasn't so sure the outcome would be good for Damien if he ever did wake up, but she had to try

"Very well" Augustus said "Get some rest and we will talk more about this at a more reasonable hour"

"Excuse me but Augustus she lied to us" Caius butted in

All eyes turned to him and Reyna had to keep the anger from her face

"The Praetor stated to us that she did not know who their third companion would be and know we find out that it was the child of Letus" he stood "I have heard from members of the legion that Praetor Ramirez favoured him"

"Caius, we will discuss this at a later date" Augustus stood as well, glaring at his fellow council member "Reyna you are dismissed"

Reyna nodded and had to keep her pace normal even though she felt like running, no she couldn't, she was Roman and would not show weakness, so she just walked from the hall and out of the building, her fists clenched so tightly that they had turned white, she kept walking through the early morning sunlight, lost in her own thoughts

She came to a stop in front of the infirmary, her heart wanting to go inside and check on Damien but as more and more Roman's came out to start their duties she knew that eyes would be watching her, so instead of going inside she turned away and returned to her room, collapsing on her bed and wrapping her arms round her chest as if she might break at any moment, silent tears rolled down her cheek.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Reyna didn't sleep, she couldn't, her mind was filled with concern for Damien, if a titaness almost as old as time itself didn't know how to reverse the magic that Marsyas had cursed him with, Reyna didn't hold much hope for Samson to find a cure.

She had been raised on Circe's island surrounded by magic, she had seen the Goddess do amazing things but she had never leant the dark art herself, not many had the gift to be able to do so. There were a few children of Hecate in the legion but they did not practice magic, it wasn't the Roman way, they are warriors, they fought hand to hand, it was not honourable to hide behind magic, but now she wished more than anything that she knew someone who could cast magic.

A thought struck her, an idea that could get her dismissed as Praetor, but it would save Damien, she sat up on her bed, staring out of the window at the sky

"What do I do?" she asked the empty air

You do your duty as Praetor

A voice echoed in her mind, Reyna froze, she knew that voice, she sat a little bit straighter

"Mother"

You have let your feelings for this boy cloud your judgement as Praetor for far too long, this cannot continue Reyna

Reyna could feel her anger boiling up inside of her at her mother's harsh words, she clenched her fists together and held her tongue

You know my words are true

Reyna remained quiet, she did not think she could control her voice at that moment

Reyna, you have worked so hard to become the woman that you are, to raise yourself to this level, I have seen your mind, do not throw away everything for the heartless boy

"He saved my life and if he ever wakes the council will kill him" she whispered "This is not fair"

He deserted the legion

Reyna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath

"He was brave-

Yes

Bellona answered

He fought well but that does not excuse his past crime, if you do not want him to die by the hands of your legion then let him be as he is, this is a battle you cannot win

A thought crossed Reyna's mind

"I may not be able to win" she muttered quietly "But that doesn't mean I can't save him"

Reyna

Her mother's voice now a warning

If you do this, it will be the end of your Praetorship and possibly your life, do not do this

Reyna rose from her bed, her mind made up

"Then that is what awaits me" she said coldly as she left her room, her moithers voice leaving her

She started to walk out of her building, she headed straight towards the medical building, she could hear others greeting her, but her focus was only on the task ahead, she would not falter, once she set her mind to something she would do everything in her power to make it happen and more than anything else in this moment she wanted to save Damien

She could feel eyes upon her as she entered the medical building, ignoring everyone as she made her way up the stairs, heading for the private room, she came face to face with two guards outside of his door, guards she didn't post there

"Praetor" they greeted, stepping aside so she could enter

"On who's orders are you here?" she asked, keeping her voice steady

"Senator Caius" one answered "He wanted to be informed right away if any progress was made"

"Of course he would" Reyna muttered as she pushed the door open, her eyes instantly finding Damien, motionless like when she had left him an hour ago, Reyna stood there for a moment, reliving what had happened

"Reyna?"

Reyna spun to see Hazel sitting in the corner, her spatha in her hand, her eyes were tired but still she was alert

The shorter woman rubbed the sleep from her eye, she looked back up at her friend and saw a dangerous look in her dark eyes

"Reyna what are you doing?" she asked slowly, never seeing this look before, the normally calm praetor had a slight crazed look in her eyes

"I need to ask something of you" Reyna said, ignoring the question

Hazel tilted her head slightly "What is it?"

Reyna swallowed "I need to get Damien out of Camp Jupiter"

Hazel's jaw dropped

"He isn't safe here Hazel" Reyna added quickly "If there is any way for Samson to revive him then he faces discipline from the council… he deserted the legion"

She didn't have to explain to Hazel what that meant for Damien's future

"Where would you send him?" Hazel asked, still not totally convinced that this was a good plan

"Camp Half-blood" Reyna said in a hush voice, her eyes glancing back to the door

"Are you crazy?" Hazel said grabbing Reyna's attention back to her "You know that Caius is not happy about the Roman and Greeks working together, he is looking for any reason to start another war and if he even thinks that the Greeks have anything to do with Damien's disappearance then he will not hesitate"

Reyna fell silent, she knew that Hazel was right, but as she looked towards Damien again, she knew that she could not just leave him here

"Have you even spoken to Annabeth about this?" Hazel questioned

Reyna shook her head, she looked out of the window on the door "Where are they?" she said searching for the two Greeks

"They went to get some food, Frank is with them" Hazel explained

Reyna nodded "I need to go find them" her hand went to the door but she was intercepted by the small roman

"Reyna, please think this through, you may not care what happens to you but you are putting both camps at risk if you do this" the smaller girl pleaded with her friend

Reyna took one more glance at Damien before leaving


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Reyna soon found Annabeth eating with Damien and Frank, the blonde's eyes found her as she moved towards them, her grey eyes ringed with tiredness, Reyna felt guilt in the pit of her stomach, she had already done so much for Reyna, could the Praetor really ask anything more from her, especially something so dangerous?

Annabeth knew instantly that something was wrong, just by looking up at her

"Hey what's up?" she said

Reyna glanced between the three of them, all eyes upon her

"I need to speak with you" she said to Annabeth "In private" she added

The blonde nodded and rose from her seat, she gave Markos a quick kiss on her cheek before following Reyna out of the mess hall, she remained quiet until they were away from the other Romans

"How is Damien doing?" she asked

Reyna rounded a corner to a deserted area of the camp, she still glanced around just to make sure there were no eyes upon them

"He is the reason I want to speak to you in private" she suddenly felt a little nervous to ask, Reyna didn't get nervous "I need your advice on an idea I have"

"Of course"

Reyna took a deep breath "What you may not know is that Damien deserted the legion and to the Romans that is a serious crime, they have made a decision" Reyna's heart clenched a little but she ignored it "If Damien were ever to be released from his current state, he would be tried and committed of treason, the traditional punishment for such a crime is death or at the very least imprisonment"

Annabeth stayed quiet, she was good like that, she would wait until she had all of the details and then tried to work out the best solution

So Reyna continued "I need to get him out of Camp Jupiter, it's the only way I know he will be safe"

Annabeth's grey calculating eyes watched her

"I need your help to get him out of here" Reyna finished

"Where would he go, it's not like he can defend… oh" Reyna's words clicked in her mind "You want us to take him back to Camp Half-blood?"

Reyna nodded slowly, knowing it was too much to ask, she could see Annabeth's mind working behind her eyes, she stayed silent for a few minutes and Reyna was starting to worry that she had overloaded her brain somehow.

Slowly she nodded "Okay, there is a place I can hide him"

She looked back up to Reyna

"But we are going to need Hazel's help, will she do it?" she asked, the same guilt in her eyes as Reyna was feeling right now, both knowing that it was dangerous and the more people they included the more dangerous the situation became.

"I do not want to answer on her behalf" Reyna admitted "I will have to ask her"

"I will come with you, I can explain what my plan is" the blonde said as she gestured for Reyna to lead the way to Hazel

They remained silent as they walked towards the medical building, many Romans greeted Annabeth with respect, they had grown used to their alliance with the Greeks, Reyna prayed that would change after they got Damien out of here, hopefully they would not blame the Greeks for this.

They passed the two soldiers again who eyed Annabeth suspiciously but allowed them to pass, they found Hazel once again sat on a stool in the corner

"Hey" she greeted sleepily

Reyna glanced to make sure that the door was shut before speaking

"Annabeth has a plan but it involves you" Reyna said "But I know it's a lot to ask and I will understand if you do not want to risk it"

"Reyna, what makes you think that I would stop helping you after everything we have been through already" she smiled softly at her friend "I'm in this for the long haul"

Reyna gave her a small smile "Thank you Hazel"

"Right so what's the plan?" Hazel ask turning to Annabeth

The blonde looked towards Damien, still entrapped in the ice

"How are you with shadow travelling?" the blonde recalled the son of Hades, Nico who had transported the Athena Parthenon across half the world

Hazel shuffled her feet awkwardly "Well I'm not as good as Nico" she glanced towards the very heavy looking ice trap "But I don't think I can get him all the way across the country"

Annabeth shook her head "Not a problem, if you can at least get him out of state I can have friends pick him up from and take him the rest of the way"

Hazel nodded then looked back at the large man encased in his icy prison "Okay… yer, I can do that" she looked at Reyna "You better go, be in public, so you have an alibi for when he disappears"

Reyna's eyes dropped to the floor, then back to Damien "Of course" she walked up to Damien in his frozen state, his eyes open and staring straight ahead, she moved closer so that she could whisper

"I have no idea if you can hear me but, I want… need you to know that I need you to be okay, I need you to come back to me one day" she took a shaky breath "Maybe we can go backpacking around Europe, because there's no one else that I would rather travel the world with"

She paused as tears stung her eyes, but she told herself that she would not cry

"Good luck Damien"

She turned to Hazel and Annabeth "Good luck to both of you and thank you"


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Reyna left the medical building and walked slowly across the fields towards Temple Hill, there were always people around, praying to their parents or making small food sacrifices to them. The Praetor made her presence known and greeted the other Romans, many seemed a little surprised to see her there but greeted her in return.

She entered her mother's temple but as soon as she knelt by the statue all the torches extinguished, the room turning cold and dark, an obvious sign from her mother, she was not happy with her daughter's decisions

"Mother" Reyna whispered "I know this is not the path that you would have chosen but it is the one I have and I will accept any consequences that come from it"

She closed her eyes willing her mother to hear her but there was still no answer, just the room feeling colder

"This is my path mother and I do not regret it, I care not what you think anymore" she said in a harsh whisper, she stood and left the temple swiftly, back out into the sunlight, taking a deep breath before walking away from her mother's temple and back down the hill towards New Rome, all she wanted to do was go to her room and curl up on her bed, but instead she decided to walk through the streets towards the gardens of Bacchus, her favourite place in all of New Rome, she had wished to show Damien the gardens one day, she could imagine them walking hand in hand through the grape vines.

She sat on a bench looking out across all of Camp Jupiter and New Rome, before glancing down at her forearm and the 8 lines tattooed across it, this had been her home since she was 12 years old, she had built up a promising career, always done what was best for her people and now… well now she felt like she would give it all up in a heartbeat to be with Damien, somewhere safe.

"Are you okay Praetor?"

Reyna jumped and looked up to see Leila, daughter of Ceres

"Leila" she said in surprise "Yes… no, I just needed time to think" her dark eyes wandered out to the horizon

Leila took a seat next to Reyna "It's a good place to clear your mind and maybe talk to someone about what's on your mind"

She gave the young Praetor a warm smile, Reyna regarded her for a moment, Leila was no longer a member of the legion, now she just lived in New Rome and tended to the gardens, but Reyna remembered that she was a trusted and well liked member of the legion.

"I just have choices to make" she replied simply

Leila nodded "Praetor's have to make choices everyday, why is this one so different?" she asked

Reyna shook her head, not wanting to tell anyone the details, "It doesn't matter, the decision has been made and now I have to accept the consequences" she exhaled and looked back out over camp Jupiter and New Rome

"We all have choices to make, especially when it involves matters of the heart"

Reyna's eyes shot up to Leila,

The older girl smiled "I've been working up here as long as you have been Praetor and I have never seen you this distressed, not even when the Greeks fired upon us and you were deciding what to do" she looked back out across the rolling hills "But a lot of girls come up here to think when it involves someone special"

"I… I, no.. um"

Leila smiled "Don't worry Reyna, you are not immune to being a young woman, just answer me one thing"

Reyna waited watching Leila, worrying that she would somehow find out what Reyna had done

"Did you follow your heart?" she asked with a faint smile

Reyna glanced down at her hands "Yes" she whispered, her mind thinking to where Damien was now, was he already out of Camp Jupiter?

"Well then if it is meant to be then it will all work out, there is nothing more to do" she placed a hand on Reyna's shoulder "You deserve someone Reyna"

Reyna smiled softly

"Praetor Ramirez!"

Reyna felt her heart drop as Leila whirled around, Reyna followed her gaze to see four centurions standing there

"You need to come with us now"

Reyna inhaled deeply and stood "Caius sent you?" she asked, already knowing the answer

"Yes Praetor" the centurion shuffled his feet slightly

Reyna recognised him from 3rd cohort, Freddie she thinks his name is

"Please come with us" he added

Reyna could see in his eyes that he didn't want to order his leader around but he also didn't want to go against the council

"Very well" she replied, she nodded down at Leila "Thank you for the company"

Leila looked a little confused at what was unfolding before her but she nodded back to the younger woman

Reyna was then escorted out of the gardens and through New Rome, many turned to see what was going on, but Reyna kept her eyes forward and her head high

But behind the unemotional mask she wore, her mind flurried with a thousand possibilities, did they get caught? Not much time had passed since she left the medical facility, did Annabeth really sort something out so quickly or had they been foiled before they had even begun? Where was Damien?

They entered the senate house and Reyna's eyes instantly found more centurions guarding a smaller girl with unruly curls, their eyes locked and Hazel gave her the slightest nod and if not for the situation she was in, Reyna was sure her knees would buckle, Damien was gone, he was out of Camp Jupiter.

Reyna looked ahead as the large double doors were opened,

This was it, this moment was about to decide her future, she walked down towards the centre of the room and stood before the elder council members, all of their expressions neutral apart from one, Caius, he was out for Reyna's job.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The doors closed loudly behind her and the grand room was cast into silence, Reyna stood there, hands clasped behind her back, her head up as she looked at all of the elders. All of their eyes upon her, all silent, all waiting for her to give something away, waiting for her to crack.

She wouldn't be the first to talk and give them the upper hand, the silence went on for a long while until Antonio rolled her eyes and broke the silence

"Were you involved?" she asked

Reyna paused for a moment, she didn't want to lie, not if it could get her friends into trouble, but she had to stick to the plan

"Involved with what Senator?" she asked, keeping her voice levelled , maintaining eye contact

"Do not play games Ramirez" Caius sneered "You know exactly what we are talking about"

Reyna shook her head "I'm afraid that I do not know what you are referring too"

"LIES!" Caius raised his voice it echoing around the space violently

"Senator please" Augustus said calmly, gesturing for the younger man to sit

He did with a huff and shot a glare at her, his hand clenching into a fist on the desk, Reyna had to use all her resolve to keep her expression neutral

"Praetor Ramirez a little over 20 minutes ago our guards discovered that Damien Blake has gone" he explained

"Gone?" she asked,

"You do not sound surprised" Caius cut in, his pale eyes still glaring

Reyna ignored him and directed her question to Antonia "Senator, there were two guards posted outside that room, how is this possible?"

"That is what we would like to know" she replied, her steady gaze watching the young Praetor for a reaction

"And why you have been summoned" Caius added "Do not try and convince us that you had nothing to do with his escape"

"Escape?" Reyna countered "He is incapacitated, how do you supposed he escaped?"

"We have no doubt that he had help Reyna" Caius growled

"Caius please" Augustus said, rubbing his forehead soothingly "We are not here to accuse anyone, we are here to get facts and statements for the trail"

Caius leaned back in his seat, his hand twitching like he was tempted to grab a weapon, Reyna was a little glad at that point that Terminus didn't allow weapons in New Rome, although she could probably take him in a fair fight, something she doubted he had ever been in.

"Reyna" Antonio said, drawing the Praetor's attention back to the situation at hand

"Walk us through where you have been during the past couple of hours" she said, her expression neutral

"Of course Senator" Reyna straightened "This morning I did visit Damien, the guards logged me in with Centurion Hazel Levesque"

"So you admit you were there" Caius interjected

Antonia shot him a look and the younger Senator fell silent

Reyna continued "I left a little while afterwards, then I went to Temple Hill to pray to my mother, then I made my way to the Gardens and that is where your guards found me"

"Were you alone?"

"In the Temple yes I was alone but in the gardens Leila sat with me for a while and we spoke" Reyna answered

"Did you go back to the medical centre a second time?"

Reyna shook her head "No Senator, I have not been to there since this morning"

"I do not believe your lies" Caius spat

His anger radiated around the room

"Senator Caius" Antonio stood, looming over him "You will hold your tongue for the rest of this meeting or remove yourself from it"

Reyna supressed a smile as she saw Caius's face drop, he sat back in his chair, almost like a sulking toddler would. He moved his eyes back to Reyna, shooting daggers at her, she could just imagine him thinking of different ways he could end her Praetorship, each one more deadly than the last.

"As I was saying" Antonio continued, her voice returning to a more neutral pitch "This is just a preliminary questioning, so we can establish everyone's statements, there will be a formal court hearing held if a majority of our council deem it necessary to do so"

"I understand" Reyna nodded,

"And do you want to keep to the information you have told us?" Antonio's older eyes watched her closely "Or wish to add anything? You statement here may be called upon later and we will keep you to your word, so do you swear upon the legion and your Praetorship that all you told us is true"

"I swear" Reyna said, trying to make her voice sound confident as she bowed her head to the senators, struggling to ignore the icy shiver that ran down her spine

She had been truthful when she swore that all her words had been the fact, but she had left out a lot, but she felt as though she still could not lie, her duty prevented her from doing so, she just had to pick her words carefully, stick to only answering what they asked her and nothing more.

Antonio nodded slowly, there was something in her eyes, hesitation, did she suspect Reyna of keeping information

"Very well Praetor Arellano, you may return to your duties for now, we will inform you if your presence is needed again for further investigation"

Reyna bowed once more before turning on her heels and walking calmly out of the council room, once the doors were closed behind her, she picked up her pace a little, needing to get away from there, she breathed deeply remaining calm

"Reyna!"

The Praetor spun as she heard a familiar voice, the small daughter of Pluto hurried over to her, casting a glance around them, she fell into step with the taller woman

"Let's go somewhere a little quieter to talk"


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The pair made their way calmly from New Rome, walking pass other demigods, news travelled fast as some of the Roman's eyes followed Reyna, some turning and muttering to one another, but Reyna kept her head high and met the stares of every one of them, she was still their Praetor, that hadn't changed yet, she would not show any weakness.

She followed Hazel into the stables and to the end where it was quiet and away from the others, the smaller demigod turned, facing Reyna, her face showed concern

Reyna glanced around, checking the area was clear, before looking back down at Hazel

"Just nod" she whispered, her chest tightening, holding her breath, waiting for the answer she feared

But Hazel slowly nodded

Reyna exhaled, a hand going to her heart as she felt an immense weight lift off of her, Damien was safe, he was out of New Rome's reach, Annabeth would protect him and do everything in her power to free him from his icy prison.

Reyna paused in her silent celebration, if by some miracle Annabeth frees him, he would not be able to return to Camp Jupiter, Reyna nodded to Hazel

"Thank you Centurion Levesque, you may return to your duties" she turned and left the stables, leaving behind a worried Hazel

Reyna walked alone to her office, she entered and locked the door behind her, she sat at her desk, taking a long deep breath, trying to clear her mind. She had known that he could never return, she knew what she had asked of everyone, she had chosen his safety above all else, even her own feelings, which for the longest time she had tried to hide

"It was the right thing" she whispered to herself

There was a loud knocking at the door, Reyna closed her eyes hoping they would leave, but there was a second knocking moments later, she pushed herself up from her desk, remembering that forcing anyone away at this point would look suspicious to say the least.

She composed herself and opened the door to see the massive form of Frank standing there looking worried

"Praetor, may I come in?" he asked formally, but his nerves still flared up every now and again

"Of course Frank" she stepped aside, Frank having to duck slightly to step in the door

"What's going on?" he asked as Reyna closed the door, leaning against it

"What do you mean Frank?" Reyna asked, she had promised Hazel that Frank's position would be safe and that meant keeping him out of the loop, no matter how much she trusted and respected him

Frank shifted uncomfortably "Well I-I have heard rumours from around the camp"

Reyna's demeanour changed, she forced herself to appear more confident as though her heart was not breaking

"Are you listening to rumours Praetor Zhang? Is that something that someone in your position should be paying attention to?" she stood tall, showing her dominance

Frank slumped a little, Reyna felt a little bad, she knew that Frank had doubts about his position, that he wasn't good enough to be there, but she couldn't think of any other way to protect him.

"Of course but… but I just wanted to be sure that there… that you were okay" he stumbled over his words

"I am very well thank you Frank" she lied easily "Rumours have no place in our legion"

Frank straightened, nodding "Of course" he paused for a moment, taking on a slightly shy look again, like he wanted to say something but he was deciding whether to mention it or not

Reyna sighed "Frank if you wish to say something then please do"

Frank shifted under her gaze "Do you think that maybe… maybe uh, you might talk to the legion about these rumours?"

Reyna stared at him for a moment, she was about to dismiss him, but then she thought about it, would it make her appear guilty, like she was trying to cover it up, or by not confronting it would she seem like she was hiding away from it, both could be mistaken as weakness. But then she realised that she was guilty, would it matter either way?

"I will take that into consideration, thank you Frank" she walked over to the door, opening it for him, signalling that their conversation was over

Frank ducked out of the door, turning before Reyna could close it "Let me know if there is anything I can do Reyna, I want to help"

Reyna nodded and closed the door on him, she took her seat behind her desk as she thought of what she was going to do, she couldn't come clean without implicating Hazel and Annabeth, but could she really keep up the charade of denying everything. Being Praetor she had grown used to looking over her shoulder, expecting the friends of Octavian's to do their best to overthrow her, but now they had a legitimate reason to have her demoted or even worst, the Roman's didn't take deception lightly, especially from their leaders.

She couldn't imagine ever leaving the legion in shame, she had planned her entire life here, to eventually pass on the Praetorship to someone she had trained, possible even Hazel herself, then after that she would attend university in New Rome, but now she didn't know what the future would hold for her.

Damien had come into her life and flipped it on it's head, he had caused her to change her ways and feel things she never had before, he had sacrificed everything for her and now she was doing the same.

Her door suddenly slammed open and four centurions flooded in, armed with their weapons

"What is the meaning of this!?" she demanded rising to her feet, hand on her own weapon

The centurions stayed quiet, a figure entered in behind them, Caius with his smug smile, took in her office before turning his cold gaze upon her, his slimy smile growing, Reyna's heart sank, she understood why he was here

"Praetor Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano" his voice spat out her name "I hereby place you under arrest by the power placed upon me by New Rome and it's citizens"

Reyna straightened, she removed her own weapons and placed them on the table, staring daggers at Caius who was still smiling broadly, she then accepted the shackles around her wrists, she was led past Caius by the centurions

"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" Caius muttered under his disgusting breath as Reyna was lead from her office

Reyna had many retorts on her tongue but decided not to make herself look any more guilty, so she walked in silence as she was led out.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Romans stood there mouths agape as they watched as their leader was escorted, restraints on her arms, but Reyna kept her head high, no weakness was to be shown, they hadn't stripped her of her position yet, that would have to be done with all of the Council present.

She could see the shock on some of the faces in the growing crowds, though one face caught her eye, one that was neutral, arms crossed, standing alone behind the others. Toni, she didn't seemed shocked at all, Reyna met her gaze and she understood that Toni was somehow part of this, she had been bitter since Reyna pretty much called her a liar after she tried to announce that Damien didn't have a heartbeat.

Toni was the one who broke the stare first, Reyna knew she didn't have the courage to be openly against the Praetor

"REYNA?"

The Praetor turned her head as Hazel appeared from the crowd, worry on her face, but Reyna shook her head slowly and Hazel came to a halt, tears in her eyes as she watched her friend being taken away by guards, closely followed by Caius. The daughter of Pluto thought for a moment before darting off up the hill, towards the temples, Reyna watched her go, not understanding exactly what the small demigod was doing.

There was a commotion ahead of them and the centurions escorting Reyna came to a halt, stopping her as well as their obstruction came into view,

Frank stood there with Dakota, Leila and Michael, Frank looked intimidating with his size and muscular crossed arms over his chest

"Why are we stopping?" Caius called as he pushed past the centurions and Reyna to come face to face with Frank, he faltered slightly as he looked up at the son of Mars

"W-What is the meaning of this obstruction Praetor Zhang?" he demanded though his voice squeaked slightly

"I have a right as Praetor to know where you are taking my colleague and on what charges she is being taken on" Frank said, his confidence radiating from him, he loomed a little over Caius

The weasely man took a step back "Well, Praetor Zhang, I have been given orders by the council to escort Praetor Ramirez to the dungeons where she will be held until her hearing"

"And what is the crime?" Frank asked, his eyes on the smaller man

"On the charges of deceiving the legion and aiding in the escape of another prisoner, using her position of power to help the enemies of Rome"

Frank's eyes darted to Reyna before returning to Caius, it was clear he didn't want to let them take Reyna away, but the charges were serious and he didn't have an argument in defence of her.

"Praetor Zhang" Reyna spoke clearly, the power in her voice never wavering "Step aside and allow the council to do their duties"

Frank looked at her, silently asking her if she was sure, she nodded and so he and the others stepped aside, Reyna nodded her thanks to each of them, but she would not have them risking their own positions for her, especially since they didn't know the whole story.

They continued their Journey, into New Rome and, more Romans watched on as Reyna was taken to the prison that they had there, it was small, not many went against the rule of Rome, she was led in and taken down to the cells.

Caius's smile grew as Reyna walked calmly into the cell, the restraints taken from her wrists and the door locked tightly

"Wait for me upstairs" Caius addressed the centurions, the obeyed and their footsteps echoed into the distance, silence fell as Caius's cold eyes landed on Reyna again

"Nothing to say Reyna?" he asked smugly

Reyna remained quiet as she glared at Caius

He looked irked that she didn't retaliate at all, he pushed himself from the wall and towards the bars, careful not to get within arm's reach of Reyna

"Finally where you belong and make no mistake Reyna that I will do everything in my power to make sure you get the punishment that you saw fit for Octavian" his voice was filled with so much anger

Reyna held her tongue, she wanted to rip this guy's head off but that would not help the situation, no matter how good she would feel after it

Caius cursed in Latin at her lack of action and stalked out of the prison, leaving Reyna alone, she sat on the bed, taking a deep breath.

"This is it" she muttered to herself, her heart breaking


End file.
